Dedication
by ToxicSushi
Summary: Riku gets a call from home saying his father has died, now he has to go back and face his past. Will he be able to handle it? Will the past stay in the past, or will secrets be reviled that threaten to destroy his new life.  drama/hurt Rated M to be safe
1. Chapter 1

**( So I was reading this over and wondering why I was getting so many hits and no reviews, and I decided to re-post these two chapters because I felt they didn't have much detail in them, Hopefully this is a little better, at least it makes me feel better. More to some soon3) **

**Hello All! *grin* I'm happy to present to you my first Fan Fic EVER! I have spent so much time reading all the wonderful work on here that I thought it was time**

**to ****take part in the joy of writing, I just hope I do a good job. This has been an idea that has been swimming around in my head over the last few months, so I**

**hope ****you like it. I hope to update as much as possible, of course reviews would be much appreciated then I will know if ya'll like what I have and if I should**

**keep going with this story line****. Throughout the story we will have some Romance, hurt, humor among some others. Also some B-On-B action, if you don't like**

**it don't read it.**

_thinking_

**flashback**

**"**talking**"**

**You get the idea...**

_**Disclaimer**_**_:_ I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy characters, this is non-profit and for my own personal enjoyment.**

**xxxxx**

"You know you have to go, it was your dad after all…" Axel sighed, leaning against the door inside the old apartment building. He glanced over at his silver haired friend

who was lying face down on the couch in the middle of the room, one of the very few pieces of furniture that they had, looking like he'd been there for weeks. The joys of

college life, by the end of the first week all your money is either invested in your classes, rent, or the small bit of food in the fridge. Generally you don't have much left for

the luxuries of furniture.

The room was dark even though it was the middle of the day, with all the curtains drawn closed. Axel knew that Riku was really feeling the pressure with final exams, but

when he heard about his father's death and that the whole town expected him to go back home for the funeral, something came over him. Once exams were done, and

summer started, Riku never left the house. Axel would go to work for the day then when he came home he found Riku in the same spot he left him in that morning, lying

face down on the couch.

"I bed I miffer mood fobook der" Riku mumbled from the pillow his face we stuffed into.

"Ummm, what was that?" Axel arched an eyebrow at him trying to decipher what he just said. Riku turned over onto his back, staring at the ceiling for a moment before looking at his friend.

"I said I never would go back there." Riku pushed himself up moving to one end of the couch. He pulled one leg up, resting his chin on his knee, then wrapping his arms

around his leg in a tight hug. Axel pushed himself off the door, walked over to the couch and sat down, taking the movement as an invitation to sit down. He lifted one leg

up stretching across to where Riku was sitting, his foot resting against Riku's thigh.

"Your brother needs you, dude. It's been six years…"

Riku looked down at Axel's foot for a second with a slight snarl. "Get those stinky things away from me…"

"They are not! I just had a shower at the gym, and don't change the subject, you know I'm right." Riku looked away from him down to his hands clasped in his lap. He

pictured his little brothers smiling face. The last time he saw him was the night he left home.

_***flashback***_

_**2am… I have to go now or it will never happen. **_**Riku pulled his duffle bag out from under his bed. He had it packed for over a week just waiting for the perfect **

**time to leave. Tonight was the night. He was tired of the crap going on in the house, his mom and dad fighting constantly and trying to tell him how to live his life. **

**He knew his mom would be pissed at him for leaving school when he still had two years left, but he had plans. He knew everything would work out; he would just **

**enroll himself in school wherever he ended up going.**

**He opened the door to his room, peeking out into the hallway, making sure everyone had truly gone to bed. Once he was sure, he shut the door behind him and **

**headed down stairs. Everything was so dark and quiet, every step he took was followed by a creek in the floor boards, and he sure as hell hoped everyone was **

**asleep. He hoped he wasn't as loud as he thought he was. As quietly as possible he crept to the kitchen, grabbing his jacket off the chair and his keys off the **

**counter. He glanced at the brightest thing in the room, the digital clock on the stove. **_**Shit, 230am, I better hurry up.**_** He didn't know it took him so long. Just as he **

**was heading out the door he heard something behind him. Quickly turning around, his keys dropped to the floor in a loud crash. He jumped at the sound,**_** agggg **_

_**shhhhhh, **_**he thought to the keys. He looked around the room, wondering where that noise came from. All he saw was darkness. He looked towards the hall, the **

**moon shining through the slightly open curtain, he waited a moment before he slowly bent over and picked up his keys as quietly as possible. As he turned to leave **

**he caught some movement from the corner of his eye. **_**Damn it!**_

"**Riku…" Hope looked up at his big brother with wide eyes. His silver hair sticking up every which way, his green eyes were heavy with sleep, he rubbed them a **

**little.**

"**Hey buddy, what are you doing up?" Riku put his things behind the counter, hoping Hope didn't see it.**

"**I couldn't sleep, then I heard you up and I thought maybe you couldn't sleep either…" Hope looked to where Riku had just put his bag, even though he couldn't see **

**it, he knew it was there. He hoped Riku wasn't planning what he thought he was.**

**"Are you going somewhere?" Hope stepped forward watching Riku's face carefully, Riku was avoiding his eyes.**

"**Umm…just go back to bed, Hope." Riku walked over grabbing him by the shoulders and guiding him out of the kitchen towards the stairs. Hope pushed against **

**Riku's hands to stop him from pushing. **

"**No, I want to know where you're going." He turned around glaring up at his brother. His death glare was nothing compared to the one he had seen his big brother **

**do so many times before, but he was trying. **

**Riku sighed; he knew his brother wouldn't let him leave if he didn't at least tell him a little about what he was doing. If he didn't he would make a scene and then **

**he would never get out of the house without waking Mom and Dad.**

**"Look kiddo, I gotta go away for a while." Riku ran his fingers through his hair looking at his brothers pleading eyes.**

"**Can I come; I swear I won't be any trouble." **

"**I'm sorry; I have to do this on my own." Riku gave his brother a reassuring smile; he reached over and ruffled Hope's already messy hair. "I will come back to **

**visit, and you can call me anytime you want, ok? Hope's head fell, disappointed. **

**Riku could see the tears starting to swell in his eyes. Riku could feel his heart ache and his throat tighten; he pulled his little brother into a hug. Even though Hope **

**and Riku were only a year apart, he always thought that Hope was really young for his age. At fifteen he always seemed a little closer to ten, this was always **

**something that made Riku change his mind about leaving and stick around a little longer. Their Dad was never around, and when he was he always shut himself up **

**in his office. He really hates that room and the memories it held. Riku shook the thoughts from his head letting his thoughts go back to Hope, he knew that having a **

**male figure around was really important, but he just couldn't stay anymore. Riku stroked his brother's hair as he felt the warmth of his tears falling on his chest **

**and soaking through his shirt. **_**Can I really leave him like this? I can't always be around…he needs to grow up, and if I'm here he will always rely on me to do **_

_**things for him. **_**Riku pulled away.**

"**I'm sorry Hope, but I have to go…I love you kiddo." Riku kissed the top of Hopes head. "Do something for me?" Hope gave a small nod, wiping the tears from his **

**eyes. "Give it a few days before you tell Mom and Dad where I went, okay?" Again Hope gave a nod, then with another quick hug Riku left. That was the last time **

**he saw his brother.**

_***present***_

Riku got up from the couch rather quickly, giving Axel a start. He watched him walk out of the room "Dude, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to go pack…"

"Good, It's about time you listened to the brains around here." He gave Riku a wink to which Riku only rolled his eyes and went to his room to pack. Axel got up and

followed him to his room, leaning in the door frame as he watched him pack. His room was small and compact, only needing to take a few steps to reach either end of the

room. He watched at Riku pulled various items out of his closet and stuffing them into a large duffle bag. Another flash from the past came to Riku's mind as he

remembered a scene slightly similar to this six years ago.

"You want me to come with you?" Riku stopped as he reached for his sock drawer. _I could use the support. _He thought, not that he would ever admit that to Axel.

"Whatever you want man…I can't say it will be a great summer vacation" He continued to pack. Axel knew his friend, he may not be very good at expressing his feelings

openly but he could see it in his eyes. If someone just took the time to get to know him as Axel had over the last six years they would know how to read those intense

eyes of his.

"I'm coming, I would love to see your home town, and meet your little bro." Riku glanced at Axel. He had to be honest; he was a little surprised Axel was coming. He

figured Axel would want to spend his summer at the beach scoping out some 'hot babes' as he had expressed so many times before.

"Don't look at me like that…I can be sensitive and care about more than just beach babes, ya know!"He replied as his reading Riku's mind. He looked away from Riku

briefly then back at him with a sly grin across his face. "How old did you say your brother was?"

Riku frowned slightly. "Umm, I guess he would have just turned twenty-one…damn time flies." Riku was too busy feeling overwhelmed by the fact that his baby brother

was an adult and wondering if he still acted younger then he was, to notice he mischievous look on Axel's face.

"Oh really, hmmm, this should be an interesting trip after all, I hope there is a beach near by…" Axel left the room to go pack. Moments later he heard Riku yell at him

down the hall.

"WHAT THE HELL! You better not be thinking, what I think you're thinking…"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Axel said with a smirk as he watched Riku appear at his door with his bag in hand. Dropping it outside Axel's bedroom door,

the room not much bigger than Riku's he knew the bag would only get in the way. He walked over to where Axel was stuffing things into a black suit case with a large red

handle.

"My brother is off limits…besides, I don't even know what he's like anymore…or what he likes, who he likes…" Riku trailed off, Axel could tell he was feeling guilty for not

being around the last few years.

"All the more reason for us to spend lots of time with him while we are there. I will personally see to it that we do." Axel wondered if Hope looked anything like Riku.

Riku glared at the look on Axel's face and with a slight shove brought him back to reality. "Seriously dude, don't even go there..." Axel put his hands up as if to say _alright, _

_chill._ Riku sighed "We better go, the plane leaves in an hour."

**xxxxxx**

**Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it so far, I promise the next few chapters will have a lot more going on, and will be posted soon! Please don't forget to review **

**and ****tell me if you like it so far!**


	2. Chapter 2

**_( re-post with more detail...I hope.)_**

**_Alright! Here is chapter number two! Now, chapters will not always be up this fast, but i was on a bit of a roll and decided to go for it! Hope you enjoy it! I_**

**_decided to stick Hope in there, and I know he's not part of kingdom hearts, but I thought he would make a good little brother to Riku._**

**_ANYWHO, ON WITH THE SHOW!_**

**_Disclaimer_**_**: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy, though sometimes I dream that I do...*sigh***_

**_xxxx_**

"The plane is now descending and will be landing in Twilight Town in about ten minutes, if you look out your windows, you will see we are just passing over Destiny

Island. Please notice the fasten seatbelt sign and thank you for traveling Twilight Air."

Riku glanced over at Axel as the flight attendant spoke. His face was white, well, more than usual, and his fingers were buried deep into the soft black arms of his seat.

He laughed a little to himself as he then turned to look out the window. Sure enough, as the flight attendant said, they were passing over Destiny Island. He smiled a

little in remembrance of all the time he spent on that Island. Whether it was with Hope, or alone, just to get away from everything that was going on at home.

If he looked really close he could see the old house, just a boat ride away from the island and a short walk up the beach. If there was one thing he missed about that

house; that was it. He loved being so close to the water, and that island.

"Uhhhgg, when will this roller coaster be over?" Axel whined from his seat. Riku glanced over at his friend with a smirk.

"I though you said you liked to fly, that it didn't affect you like MOST people. You said you should have been born with wings." Riku mocked in an 'Axel-like voice'

"Bite me!" Axel snapped "This isn't a plane, it's a bumper car with wings" The plane made another sharp jolt causing Axel to gasp and hold on tighter.

Riku laughed loudly at the sight which received a few dirty looks from other passengers. The plane was very small, only holding about thirty passengers. Riku had warned

Axel the small town flights were not the same as the others he had been on.

"They did say there would be a little turbulence"

Axel glared over at him "If this is turbulence then I'm…" another jolt from the plane caused a slight scream to come from his lips.

"Then you're what, a big girl?" Riku offered with a smirk.

Axel gave him a glare and pulled his arm back to punch him, though before there was contact the plane gave another jolt and his hands were back to the death grip they

were in previously. Riku snickered at him before returning to the window.

Once the plane landed it took them all of an hour to get off the plane, grab their bags and rent a car.

"Now this I can do!" Axel grinned as he walked around the hot black sports car in front of them, suddenly recovered from his so called 'near death experience' on the

plane ride over.

"Damn, how'd you manage to get this baby?" He looked over at Riku who was leaning against the cars passenger door.

" I have my ways" He said flipping his hair with a sultry smile, his eyes catching the light of the setting sun in such a way that made even Axel's stomach twitch excitedly.

He seemed to always have that effect on people. Axel licked his lips at the thought crossing his mind. They both knew a relationship would never work between them,

though if Axel had the chance, he'd do him in an instant.

Axel looked towards the door of the rental building, seeing a tall red headed bombshell staring at Riku; she was practically drooling with hearts in her eyes. Another

talent Riku had in spades, using his looks to get anything he wanted, a free meal, better grade on his paper or test, and apparently fancy sport cars.

Riku smirked following Axels gaze to the red head, who giggled at the wink Riku gave her.

"Here, catch." He tossed Axel the keys. "I don't feel up to driving right now." Axel easily caught the keys and scrambled to get into the driver's seat. "You look like Tidus

did when I told him he could borrow my bike while we were away."

Axel laughed as he pulled the car out of the lot and merged into traffic, heading for the highway at top speed. "I still can't believe you let him…that kid is going to kill

himself."

"He wouldn't leave me alone, and if he scratches my bike then he will be begging for a quick death when I'm through with him."

Axel pulled off the highway and into a large forest area. Riku became quiet once again as he knew it wouldn't be long before they would be there. He wondered how

Hope was and if he was okay, he also wondered how much his brother had changed in the six years since he left. He watched as they passed big tall trees, he could tell

it was getting late but the way the sun made the trees cast a shadow over them. After about twenty minutes Axel pulled out into a clearing, Riku could see the water

rolling up onto the beach, he sun making it sparkle. He looked straight ahead noticing on top of a small hill was his house overlooking the beach.

Riku's stomach lurched violently "STOP!" he yelled and Axel screeched to a halt on the gravel road which they were now traveling on.

"What? What? Did I hit something?" Axel hung his head out the window to see if he could see why Riku stopped him. When nothing was noticed he turned back to his

friend, "What the hell, man?" Just as those words left Axels mouth, something else left Riku's. "Ahhhggg..." Axel curled his lips up at the sight of Riku opening the door

and emptying his stomach of the on flight meal he had a few hours earlier. Once he was done heaving Riku pulled himself back into the car, whipping his mouth with the

back of his hand.

"Ummm, you okay?" Axel asked, a disgusted look with a hint of concern plastered on his face, he really couldn't handle watching people get sick, hence the reason why he

wasn't a big drinker. He couldn't handle the possibility that he might spend a night curled up around the toilet.

"Yeah, I think so, I just…" Riku stopped; he couldn't tell Axel the real reason why his stomach decided to turn on him. The fact that the house standing before them had so

much history, so many secrets, that the mere thought of going back in there made him sick.

Axel looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue, when he didn't he decided now wouldn't be a good time to press for info. He could tell something was

upsetting Riku, he saw the split second flash of his eyes before his face went blank and cold, now looking overly tired.

Axel slowly put his foot on the gas and finished the short climb to the top of the hill where the house sat. He was the first one to get out; he'd never seen Riku act like

this. Sure he was moody, but never like this. He pulled out all the bags from the trunk as he watched Riku sitting in the car just staring up at the house with a blank look

on his face. He walked up to the passenger's door and opened it for him. When he saw that Riku didn't even notice him there, he gave his arm a pinch.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?" Riku turned his death glare to Axel which made him smile

"Now that's the Riku I know and love." He winked at him before making his way to the front door of the house, all the bags wrapped up in his strong arms. The house

was big and bright yellow, with a large deck wrapped around the entire place. Axel could tell he was going to like this house, not only was it bigger than the apartment

that he a Riku shared, but it was also close to the water and took in a lot of the sun. He imagined himself sitting on the deck in the morning with his coffee and reading a

good book.

As Riku stepped out of the car, he watched Axel taking in his surroundings; he knew that he would like it. He smiled a little before hearing a door open from the side, he

knew without looking who it was standing there, his face returning to its previous blank look.

Axel stopped mid step to back up and see that there was someone standing at the side of the house, a tall hot someone. Axel's eyes traveled up the half-dressed body

in front of them. The young man, he was assuming was Hope, was wearing a slim pair of black dress pants that, from the angle Axel was at, looked to fit his body

perfectly. His belt hung open around his hips, a small strip of his grey underwear visible over the top of it. His chest and torso bare and well-shaped a definite swimmers

body, lean and well sculpted. Axel noticed a towel in his left hand, it seemed like he was just heading to the shower before he decided to walk out the side door. Axel

looked between Hope and Riku as they stood there staring at each other, he could really see the resemblance between the brothers. They both had the same silver hair,

though Hope's was cut a little shorter and fell in wisps around his slightly softer face and eyes. His eyes were rounder then Riku's and they held a little more green. Right

now they were set in a thin line, glaring Riku down. Axel knew that look all too well, Riku got it all the time when he was ready to lunge out and attack someone.

No one spoke for what seemed like forever. Axel was starting to feel uncomfortable, not to mention the heavy bags he was carrying, were starting to slip. Axel decided to

break the silence; he stepped towards Hope, plastering a smile on his face.

"Hey there, you must be Hope, I'm Axel, I'd shake your hand but as you can see they are a little preoccupied at the moment." Hope turned his glare over to Axel who was

slightly taken back for a moment. The glare was intense, more than he had ever seen Riku pull off.

"Uhhh, Wow, I can sure tell your Riku's brother. Shit. You pull off a better death glare then he does." Axel laughed a little, hoping to lighten the tension he seemed to be

stuck in the middle of.

"I don't have a brother…" Hope replied as he turned around and walked back in, letting the door slam shut behind him.

_**XXXX**_

**_Sorry to leave you with that, but I love a little cliffhanger! PLEASE review! I see you all checking it out, I want to hear from you! Yeah you, the one in the T-_**

**_shirt with the cookie! Awww, don't run! I'm nice a swear, and I wont single you out again...please? Aww, at least leave the cookie...no? *pouts* Please Review_****_ ^.^_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Yahoo, chapter three! Thank you so much to WolfPacFaan for my first review! I hope this will encourage others to review as well! It really makes my day, and **

**writing the next chapter easier! The more review's the more chapters will flow! So a little warning, this chapter is a bit dark. Hope you enjoy it!**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy, I'm just using them for my own sick and twisted entertainment.**_

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

Hope slammed the door behind him, hearing the wood frame of the door crack under the pressure. Storming into the kitchen and throwing his towel onto the counter,

Hope walked over and opening the stainless steel fridge to grab a drink. His body reacted to chill of the open refrigerator door, his bare chest breaking out in small goose

bumps. Leaning in, he welcomed the cold on the hot day, hoping the cool air might help the hot rage that was screaming inside of him.

_How could he be here! How could he just show up after all this time, like everything was the same? Did he think I would rejoice in his return! Oh, long live the BELOVED RIKU!  
><em>

Hope pulled away, letting the door swing closed. Forgetting his drink, he walked over to a small window with light sheer curtains; from this angle he could see Riku and

his redhead friend without them seeing him. Hope watched them carefully as they spoke to each other. The redhead put all the bags down and walked over to Riku, he

placed a hand on his shoulder spoke for a moment before Riku shrugged him off angrily and walked away, Hope knew he heading for the beach as he watched Riku walk

out of sight.

He let his attention fall back onto the redhead who was leaning against the car, a worried look on his face as his he watched his friend leave. _Hmmm…what was his_

name…lax...jax…no.

Hope thought. _ Axel! That was it. _He looked at the man, wondering what the hell could have possessed him to tattoo his face, for one and two, if he

was born with that ridiculously red hair. Axel walked towards the front of the car, leaning back onto the hood, raising his arms above him to lean on them like a pillow.

Hope watched him, noticing his clothes weren't as fancy as the car he was driving. _Must be a rental._ Axel wore a very plain black T-shirt with some rock bands name

sprawled across it in big bold letters. His dark wash jeans hung loose on his hips so his shirt rode up when he lay back on the car. Hope noticed a small mark on the

man's hip, but from where he was he couldn't tell if it was another tattoo or a birth mark. Hope's eyes widened a bit when he noticed Axel look towards the window he

was standing in front of.

_He can't see me… _He reassured himself. He held his breath a little as he watched Axel prop himself up on his elbows still looking towards him. Hope stepped back from the

window a little then sighed when Axel looked away. Running a hand through his hair, he could feel himself starting to feel a little calmer then when he first saw Riku. With

this thought he walked over to the other side of the house to look out the window facing the beach. He could see his brother standing in the middle of the beach, his

arms crossed at his chest as he stared out at the water. Even after all these years he could tell his brother was upset, he would always stand exactly like that whenever

he had a fight with their Dad. Sometimes taking a small boat and rowing out to the small island in the distance.

_I don't give a flying rat's ass if he's upset. He shouldn't have left…If he would have stayed, things would have been different._

Hope leaned a hand against the window frame as he watched his brother, he was fighting against being happy to see him after everything, and the anger he still felt at

him leaving.

Everything he went through was his fault. _It wouldn't have happened, she wouldn't be gone…and he wouldn't have done what he did…_Hope's eye filed with tears as he felt

the anger swell inside of him again. Without thinking he lashed out, all the six years of built up anger flowing into his flying fist, smashing into the glass of the window.

Watching the glass shatter around him, he looked out towards his brother who was now staring in shock towards the house. Hope looked from Riku to his now slashed

up knuckles and wrist, large shards of glass protruding from the cuts, blood flowing from the wounds. As he stood there he could feel himself getting a little light headed,

he was losing blood faster than he thought. _Shit _he thought as he heard the door being slammed open and the sound of running coming towards him. With a slight turn

of his head he could see a flash of red and silver heading quickly towards him, just before he passed out.

Axel stood there a little shocked, from what Riku had said about Hope, he had expected a young boy in an adult body. He half expected him to jump into Riku's arms at

the mere sight of him. Surprising enough the young man, who was standing before them only moments ago, reminded him more of Riku, yet angrier.

Axel looked toward Riku, noticing the surprised look on his face. Apparently he wasn't expecting that reaction either. "Well, that went well."

Riku broke his gaze from the now empty door way to look at Axel. "I shouldn't have come, it's been too long."

Setting the bags on the ground Axel walked over to his friend, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It could have been worse…"Axel smiled a little

"Oh yeah, How Ax, how could it have been worse!" Riku seethed at him

"I ummm…" Axel searched from something to say but nothing came to him.

"Ahhhggg, what do I do now?" Riku closed his eyes holding the image of his brother's angry look in his mind.

Axel shifted uncomfortably, "I'm not really good at giving advice, could I interest you in a sarcastic comment?" He grinned, hoping it would lighten the moon a little. _So_

_much for that! _He thought as Riku shrugged Axel's hand off his shoulder and stalked off angrily.

_He knows I'm no good in tense moments; I clam up and make jokes!_

He watched his friend leave as he walked over to the front of the car. _ He will probably be a while. _Axel leaned back on the hood of the car, stretching his arms back and

behind his head. For a moment he lay there in silence, wondering why there was so much anger between the brothers, when he felt this nagging feeling of being

watched. Slowly he propped himself up onto his elbows and looked towards the house. He could see a small window from where he was sitting, he hadn't noticed it

before, and it was in a bit of an odd spot. It was a few feet from the door and around a corner where the house indented to make a large sitting area. He could see the

sheer curtains covering it and wondered where it leads to, and if Hope was watching him right now. There was just something about that boy, made Axel a little nervous.

He pictured that death glare in his mind, and with a slight chill, turned his eyes back to where Riku was standing in the middle of the sand. He had no issues waiting, he

lay his head back down on his arms, and maybe he would take a nap.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Riku stared out at the water, the waves crashing along the rocks; he forgot how peaceful it was here. He looked out a little farther catching sight of the island in the

distance. He frowned a little, remembering the day he decided to row out to it. That was the day he knew he had to leave, that he couldn't, no, he wouldn't stay in this

house with _him_…

***flashback***

**Riku sighed as he pulled a couple boxes of pasta from the cupboard, he was making dinner for himself and Hope for the fourth time this week. His parents had**

**a fight that morning and his mom had taken off to god only knows where. His father wouldn't come home until late into the night, most of the time so drunk that **

**Riku ****had to help him into his office where he had a couch he could sleep on. There was no way he was able to help his stumbling slurring father up the stairs and to**

**bed.**

**_Tonight would be no different…__he thought to himself as he set the food down in front of Hope_**_.__ So innocent, and so unaware of what's going on.** He watched his**_

**brother as he scarfed down his food like he hadn't eaten in weeks. Riku only picked at his food, dreading the weeks ahead of him. He knew his mom**

**wouldn't be back for a while. Whenever his parents had a fight like this, his mom would always take off, sometimes for months at a time.**

**_"Thanks Riku, that sure was yummy!" _Hope smiled up at his brother before wrapping his arms around Riku's waist in a tight hug.**

**Riku smoothed Hope's hair_ "Hey, no problem kiddo, what are big brothers for?"_ He smiled then watched Hope place his plate in the dishwasher before heading**

**upstairs to wash and get ready for bed. It was already 10:02pm they had a late dinner since Riku didn't get home from his afterschool job until well after**

**eight, he had no idea about the fight and his mother leaving until Hope told him.**

**About an hour later the sound of jingling keys and a few curse words wafting through the front door, Riku pictured his father attempting to push the wrong**

**key into the lock, not thinking to try the door, since Riku always left it unlocked for him when he was out. Riku opened the door just as his Dad went to try**

**opening it and he stumbled forward and into the house, almost knocking down every table and light fixture in his path.**

**Riku's father, Blake looked up at his son as he attempted to straighten himself_. "R-Riku, would you stop moving so much, your making me dizzy." He slurred,_**

**Riku looked at him with disgust as he stepped forward to help his father to his office. Blake leaned his head on Riku's shoulder, inhaling deeply. "Boy,**

**havuuu, been in-m cologne agnee?" he slurred**

**Riku frowned, glancing at his father,_ "No Dad, this is my cologne. Hope bought it for my birthday, remember?" _like he would actually remember any of that, he **

**was ****just as drunk then as he was now. Riku pushed open the door to the office and led his father to the couch, letting him flop down onto it, and then turning to **

**leave ****as he always did, so he could head off to bed. Though t****his time was different, as he turned his father's hand shot up and grabbed him by the wrist. "Ca-meer **

**boy!" ****Blake said in a drunken purr, he painfully pulled Riku by the wrist so that he fell onto the couch beside him. Holding Riku's wrist tighter he slid along the **

**couch so he was sitting ****uncomfortably close to his son, his hot sour alcohol breath breathing down Riku's neck. **

**"Lemmie smell your sent, boy" His father growled as he pushed his ****face into Riku's neck. Riku just sat there a little shocked, not knowing what to do. His father **

**had never acted like this before, sure he had been yelled at, ****slapped, even punched, but never had his father ever been in the least bit affectionate, if that is what **

**you would call what he was doing now. Riku became ridged as a board as ****one of his father's hands wrapped around Riku's neck pulling him even closer, he tried to **

**pull away but his father only pulled him in tighter. When Riku felt a ****warm wet tongue running up his neck, he yipped and frantically started fighting back, using as **

**much force as possible. **

**"What the hell? Get off me!" Riku ****yelled. This only made his father smirk wickedly at him " Shu-ut it you little bi-itch.." Blake grabbed his son by the hair, pulling **

**him off the couch and ****painfully pushing him to kneel in front of him, his one hand still on the back of Riku's head, entwined and pulling at his hair, Riku watched in **

**horror as his ****father unfastened his pants, exposing himself to him.**

**_*End Flashback*_**

Riku shuttered at the memory of that night, his father forcing him to suck him off didn't stop there, for three years after his father took advantage of him. He started to call

Riku into his office for no reason, just to tell him if he didn't get down on his knees now, then he would beat the shit out of Hope. His father knew that Riku didn't care

what happened to him, he could take the pain of any beating. That's why he threatened Hope, knowing that Riku would protect his brother at any cost. One night, Riku

got sick of it, and told his father to fuck off. His father didn't like that too much and that was the night he raped his son.

"I will teach you to talk back to me boy, I will show you what true pain is, you little cock sucker." Pushing Riku down with all his strength, he ripped the clothes from his

body, pushing him into the rough carpet.

Riku remembered the rug burns and bruises he had all over his body, people would ask what happened and of course he would lie telling them they were turf burns from

playing rugby with the guys. No one could see the way he winced in pain as he sat, or the way he walked with a slight limp. He would never let anyone see his pain,

especially not his father who continued to forcefully take him, sometimes coming to his room in the middle of the night, just so he could satisfy his lust. As much pain as

Riku was in, he would never allow it to show, even the first time he felt his insides ripping apart, he made himself hold back the screams of pain. Maybe that's why he had

such a high tolerance for pain today.

Riku's mind continued to wander, thinking about rowing out to the island every night after his father was finished with him, laying under the stars, refusing to cry or feel

sorry for himself. All he did was make a plan, a plan to leave and never come back.

_*CRASH*_

Riku's head shot up towards the house, the sound of shattering glass ripping him from his thoughts to see Hope standing in front of a large window, his hand held out in

front of him. Riku stared at Hope in disbelief, he never remembered Hope to have such anger. He saw the blood dripping from his hand, his face turning an odd green

before a ghostly white. _He's going to pass out! Shit! _Riku turned and ran full speed up the hill an towards the front door, as he got there he saw Axel a few steps ahead of

him, already slamming open the door and just managing to swoop down and catch Hope as he collapsed to the floor. "Call the ambulance" Axel said in an eerily calm

voice. Riku gave a nod, already on top of it with his phone pressed against his ear.

****

**Wow! That was fun! Hope you guys liked it! Please, please, PLEASE review! ^.^ I hope to have at least four before I post the next chapter...is that so much to ask? 3**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone! Sorry for the wait on this chapter, I would have had it up earlier but I have been really busy with work. (grrr .) I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Especially the thought of particular blue pair of underwear. Hee hee, you will see...**

**Thanks to WolfPacFaan for the review and Fav!**

**Also thank you to AiLurvsYou for the Fav.**

**Now..On with the show!**

**Enjoy!^.^**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Riku watched Hope as he slept peacefully on the reclined Hospital bed. The doctor gave Hope a very strong dose of pain killers as well as something to make him relax, after that he was so relaxed that he fell asleep, which was good because the doctor took that moment to set his dislocated fingers. All four were badly dislocated and broken.

"That's what you get when you punch a double pained glass window. I'm surprised he isn't worse off." The doctor said as he looked over Hope's X-rays.

Riku and Axel watched as the doctor set Hopes hand before laying it flat on the bed beside him so that he didn't accidently knock it out of place again. Hope showed no signs that he even noticed the pain when the doctor moved his hand around, minus a quick change in his expression before it went back to peaceful slumber.

"I still can't believe all this happened" Riku said once the doctor had left the room to go prep the things he needed to stitch up the deep cuts on Hopes had as well as the plaster for his cast. Once that was done the boys could head back to the house.

"What, that he punched the window, or his overall reaction to us showing up at his door?" Axel asked as he leaned far back in one of the hospital chairs beside Hope's bed.

"His overall reaction," Riku replied "he used to be so sweet and bubbly; he never lost his temper no matter what happened to him." Riku looked down at his hands. "Now all I sense in him is anger and stubbornness…"

Axel laughed as he leaned a little farther back, now rocking on the back to legs of the chair. "Kind of like you, you mean." He replied teasingly. Riku shot him one of his signature death glares. Axel laughed loudly, and as he did he lost his balance and toppled backwards with a loud crash.

"Serves you right, baka…" Riku huffed not moving to help his friend up.

Hope turned his head towards the loud crash of Axel's chair and the echo of laughter around him. Slowly, he opened his eyes only to be met by bright lights in a stark white room. He let out a low groan closing them against the light, and catching the attention of both Axel and Riku. Hope went to lift his arm to shield his eyes from the light this time, but he was met with a jolt of pain running up his arm. His face twisted in pain and he felt a soft hand on his shoulder

"Where am I?" he asked turning his head towards the figure and attempting to open his eyes again, all he could see was a blurry outline and bright lights.

"Just relax, we're at the hospital, but you are going to be fine. We'll be leaving soon, the doctor just has to stitch and cast you up then we can take you home"

"Hmmm, okay…" Hope smiled, still feeling a little sleepy, the pain killers seemed to have that affect on him. He felt the hand move from his shoulder to his cheek which he snuggled happily into. Minus the throbbing pain up his arm, he felt a surge of warmth and happiness run through him, he wasn't sure if it was because of the pain killers or not, but he hadn't felt this way in a long time. Listening to Riku's deep voice he opened his eyes again to look at his brother. "I missed you…"

"I missed you too, Hope." He watched him doze off again.

Riku smiled down at his brother, moving his hand from under his cheek to brush the hair from his forehead, he then leaned down to press his lips against it. _This is how things used to be…_

Axel struggled to get up from his awkward position on the floor. Riku looked over at him with a goofy grin which Axel gave back to him happily. He had never seen Riku this happy before, he was really worried that once the pain killers wore off the sweet and innocent Hope may not stick around. Or maybe he had some time to cool off and he would be alright.

Well, so much for that idea because not even a week later Riku and Hope were back at each other's throats or just plain not talking to each other. Axel sat at the kitchen table watching the interaction between the brothers, as much as the first few arguments made him want to pull up a chair and make some popcorn, now it was just getting ridiculous. Axel wasn`t one to get involved, he knew he had to choose his moments, like this one happening in front of him now.

"Here, let me help you." Riku reached out to take the jar of pickles from Hope, who had been struggling with it for the last three minutes. He was attempting to open it with his left hand, which was not his dominant hand, while holding it in the crook of his arm. Having a cast up to just below his elbow was not working out for him.

"No, I don't need your help, I can do it myself." He growled

"Oh yeah, cause that's working out for you..." Riku replied sarcastically. "Just give me the damn jar Hope, you're turning it the wrong way! You're making it tighter!

"Shut up!" Hope snapped, more than a little annoyed. He grumbled to himself as he walked over to the table where Axel was sitting, he sat down at the table and proceeded to try the jar again, this time turning it the right way. He realized it was useless, all this time trying to open it and he had only made it tighter.

"Are you finished being a big baby? Now, will you let me help you?" Riku sighed walking towards the table.

Hope spun around getting right up into Riku's face "I SAID I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!" He yelled. Riku looked at him with wide eyes. "Why don't you just leave, your good at that."

Again, Axel didn't want to get in the middle of anything, but this was one of those moments where he would make an exception and Hope's back was turned, so he reached out grabbed the jar and opened it. A loud pop from the jar pulled Riku and Hope out of their stare down to look at Axel who was sitting there with a very innocent look on his face.

Hope walked over to the jar and opened it. "See, I don't need your help" Riku rolled his eyes at that before giving Axel a dirty look. "What?" Axel gave an awkward smile. Continuing with the death glare towards Axel, Riku announced he was going for a walk. He grabbed his jacket then walked out the door, slamming it behind him.

Axel's eyes carefully examined Hopes face as he watched his brother leave, he may not have spent a whole lot of time around Hope, but he could read his eyes just as well as he could read Riku's. They were more alike then either of the brothers wanted to admit. They were both ridiculously stubborn, especially when it came to admitting they were wrong. That's why they were always fighting, if they would just admit to each other how much they loved and missed each other, things would be different.

Hope looked over at Axel and his intense stare, he blushed lightly "What are you staring at?" Axel smirked at the silver haired boy in front of him. As much as he wished that Riku was around to make things better with his brother, he sure did love spending time with Hope alone. He loved how all the anger disappeared and he became shy and a bit awkward.

"Hmmm, and here I thought it was kind of obvious." That was not the answer Hope was expecting, he looked away trying to not let Axel see him blush.

_I really hate this guy._ Hope thought as he turned to leave the room.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Riku didn't know how long he had been walking; all he knew was it was dark and it seemed like the entire town had gone to bed. He remembered when he was younger how quiet this town was at night, it was almost creepy, but not quite as creepy as the old house he was standing in front of.

_Man, this piece of crap is still here?_ Riku remembered it when he was a kid; it was the kind of place that all your friends would dare you to go into. Everyone said it was hunted and that an entire family was murdered inside. Riku laughed to himself as he walked up the driveway to the house, he knew all that haunted stuff was a load of crap, as a kid he used to hide out inside the house to scare any other kids from going inside. So, he kind of became the house ghost, so to speak.

_I wonder if that secret passage is still there…_ He searched the outside of the walls feeling them for that one particular crack.

"Ahhaaaa." He said to himself as he pulled on the hidden door and slipped into darkness. He smiled walking up through the hidden tunnel. He didn't have to see anything, he had been through here so many times it was now second nature to him, even if it had almost been ten years since the last time he was inside. He still remembered it leading to the floor of one of the upstairs bedrooms.

After a few unpleasant cobwebs to the face, Riku reached the steps that lead to the door in the floor of the upstairs room. He smiled to himself again as he started to push up on the floor boards.

_Hmmm it seems to be a little stuck _he thought, so he pushed harder and could feel it slowly lifting. As small crack appeared and he could see a faint light from inside the room. He remembered there being a large window in the room, he loved to sit in front of it because he could look over the beautiful garden at the front of the house, as well as giving him the ability to watch everything and everyone on the property or road without being seen.

With this thought he gave the door one last shove to open it the rest of the way. To Riku's surprise he was met with a loud scream and a thunderous crash, as the reason why the door wouldn't open was tossed across the room.

XXXXXXXXX

Sora walked around his room getting ready for a nice hot shower. He had been working all day and was really just ready for bed. As much as he loved the smell of coffee, especially Starbucks, he didn't care to come home smelling of it.

"Oh but you smell so yummy, like sweet coffee and chocolate!" people would say to him. _Yuck_ he thought, it just wasn't the same, it made him feel like they rubbed these things all over his naked body and he could still feel a sticky film covering him.

Sora removed his clothes until he stood in his royal blue boy short underwear, as he was just about to remove those too and walk into his on suite bathroom when he could feel the small rug lifting under his feet. At first he thought it was his imagination, he was very over tired, but as the floor lifted faster under him he started to panic.

_ Someone is coming through my floor, SOMEONE S COMEING THROUGH MY FLOOR! _And with that thought he was tossed across the room with a loud scream as his body crashed to the floor. He pushed himself up onto his elbows, rubbing his head where it hit the floor with a sickening thud, but as he looked around the room a feeling of dread come over him.

_Wait, someone is here! Someone is in my room. Oh god, I can't breathe, I'm going to die! _ He had always been a little dramatic, but at this point he was really thought he was going to die! He watched the figure coming up from the floor, catching a glimpse of silver as the light shone on the rising figure before him

'_He has a knife, holy Hannah he has a knife! I'm SO going to die and no one is going to know!' _Sora looked from the figure to the door he wondered if he could make it to the door without the intruder taking a swing at him. _No, _he thought as he looked at the space he had, he knew that he wouldn't be far enough out of reach. He struggled within himself if he should chance it or not, he knew he had to try because either way he would die, but at lease he would die fighting. Who knows, he might just make it past, if he was quick, which he was.

Sora took a chance and bolted for the door, but unfortunately for him as he did his toe caught on the now folded carpet between him and he figure. Trying hard to catch his balance he put his hands out to brace himself against the collision. He hit the intruder hard, sending him flying across the room and receiving a grunt of pain from him. Sora struggled to get to his feet, hoping that he hit the intruder hard enough to distract him for a moment while he got away, but the intruder recovered faster than he thought and as he came to his feet he was grabbed by the ankle and yanked down to the floor again. _That's it, I'm dead…my life is over._ He thought as tears flowed down his cheeks.

XXXXXXX

Riku's breath caught in his throat as he looked down at the figure now sprawled across the room. He peered into the dark, trying hard to tell if it was a boy or a girl, but all he could see was a slim outline and gravity defying hair. He looked around the room, trying to see if there was any indication of who this was. His hair gleaming in the moon light, he took a step towards the person who was now rubbing their head and looking around them.

After a moment of contemplation Riku decided it wouldn't be a wise choice to let this person leave before he got out of the room, he didn't need the rest of the house knowing he just broke in, not that he was intentionally breaking in. As this thought passed through his mind, the person that was on the floor quickly attempted to pass him, heading right for the door. As he watched the figure moving towards him, it all-of-a-sudden tripped and came crashing into him. He groaned at the hard his, as it caught him a little off guard, especially when he felt the bare skin of a stomach graze his arm.

_Nude? _He wondered as he pushed himself up. Good thing he recovered fast because the person jumped to their feet, making a dash for the door again. Riku had to admit they were faster than he was expecting, but not fast enough. He grabbed hold of them easily, pulling them back down to the floor. Within a moment the other was back on their feet for a third time, attempting to pass though this time as Riku reached out they expected his movement and managed to dodge his attack.

Quickly he pushed Riku's outstretched arm out of the way, holding it up he then ducked down so he was level with Riku's stomach. With a quick movement, he lashed out for an upper-cut to Riku's stomach. Riku moved to the left with lightning speed, avoiding the punch easily. Then with one swift movement Riku stepped behind the person, wrapping his arms around them so they were pressed hard against his body. Riku's arms were tightly around the half nude body that he now recognized as male, pinning the boys arms down at his sides. Riku could feel the boy breathing heavily, his bare chest quickly rising an falling. He noticed that though the boy seemed small in his arms, he was still surprisingly muscular. Riku could feel the strain of each muscle under the boy's skin as he struggled to free himself from Riku's grasp. Riku moved his mouth towards the boy's ear.

"Shhhhh," He whispered, the boy became rigged in Riku's arms as he spoke. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise." The boy started struggling again, obviously thinking the worst of Riku's intentions.

"No, don't struggle…agggg." He gave a small grunt as the boy's foot hit his shin hard. "Would you stop? Look, I'm leaving…I'm sorry if I scared you I just wanted to see my old house, I didn't know you were here." Riku released the boy who quickly stepped away becoming guarded again. Riku put his hands up to show the boy he wasn't going to try anything. "I'm just going to leave the way I came, okay? No need to wake the rest of the house…" Riku watched the boy as he took a few steps backwards, stepping into the light of the moon shining through the window.

Riku's breath caught in his chest as his gaze fell upon the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen in his life. He took a small step forward and watched as those eyes, wet from the fearful tears that were shed earlier, widened slightly with worry. The boy took one more step back, falling back into the shadows of the room, the eye contact broken, to Riku's disappointment.

Riku stepped down through the doorway in the floor then turned to pull the door back behind him, as he did he took another glance up at the boy who seemed to be a little more relaxed as he watched Riku leave. Though Riku could not see the boy's face, he smiled.

_I promise we will meet again. _He thought to himself as he walked down through the tunnel, leaving the boy alone in his room. As Riku walked out into the night he felt his heart pounding hard in his chest, he didn't understand why until the image of the big blue eyes flashed in his mind. He took a deep breath, calming himself as he walked out into the street heading towards home; he knew he would never forget those eyes. He didn't notice that those very eyes were secretly watching him as he disappeared into the darkness of the night.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Yay! Chapter four! So, how did you like it? Please review, I would really appreciate any feedback, praise or constructive criticism. Any suggestions how I can improve? This is my first Fan Fic so I'm slowly getting the hang of it. ^^ Also, are there any other pairings you would like to see in the future? I have a few in mind but am always open to suggestions from my wonderful readers, this is for you guys after all. *heart***

**Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello all! Sorry for the wait, I have been a little busy with work lately, as well as struggling with writers block! Arrrgggg! Anywho, I hope you enjoy this little chapter.**

**As you read you will see I hopped between characters. **

**(HP) -Hope point of view**

**(AX)- Axel P.O.V**

**(RI)- Riku P.O.V**

**Let me know if you like this format, or not.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything! *tear***

**xxxxx**

Axel looked over at the time, it was already 8:30 and he wondered if Riku was going to be out all night again. He remembered one time they had a fight; it turned out really bad and Riku had even punched him in the face, giving him one hell of a big black eye. That night Riku never came home, saying he was "going for a walk" much like he did when he left this afternoon.

_Oh well, this will give me more time with Hope…_ thought Axel, a sly smile forming on his lips. He looked towards the living room where Hope was now enjoying a book. Axel's eyes raked over Hope's body, stopping momentarily on the bit of skin visible between his shirt and his low riding swim shorts, he knew Riku would be threatening to suffocate him in his sleep for the look he was giving Hope, but he just couldn't help himself. Axel thought back to a couple days ago when Riku decided to go to the store to get a few things, not returning until the wee hours of the morning. Axel wondered what had set him off that night as well, but that wasn't the only thing that made him think of that night. He leaned on the wall letting his thoughts drift…

***flashback* **

"**Damn it!" Axel heard Hope's voice from upstairs as he sat watching T.V. on the couch. He put it on mute before looking towards the stairs. **

"**Hey you okay up there?" He yelled to Hope his question was answered with a loud thump. Jumping to his feet, Axel took the stairs three at a time. He approached Hope's room, seeing the door was slightly ajar, and pushed it open to walk in.**

"**What the hell, Axel! Get out, can't you see I'm getting dressed!" Hope yelled as he managed to pull his boxer briefs the rest of the way up, he struggled with using his one good hand. **

**Axel didn't move as he watched the boy struggle a little, feeling a slight twitch in his pants as he got an eye full of Hopes smooth, round, and very bare ass. If that didn't convince Axel of his physical attraction for Hope then he didn't know what would. He had been watching the silver haired boy over the last few weeks, helping him where he needed it. The most he had ever seen of Hope's body was the on the first day they arrived, when he was standing before them shirtless. Since then he had been imagining Hope in various states of undress, but they were nothing in comparison to the sight before him. Hope's hair pressed around his face, still wet from the shower he had only moments ago. His tanned body aglow with small droplets of water that caught the light in the room, making his skin shine. Axel's eyes wondered down Hope's body, pausing as he approached the short red boxer briefs, his eyes examining the curvy feature that had just been covered by them. Again he felt his stomach, among other things, jump with excitement. **

**Hope turned to Axel thinking he might as well ask for help while the redhead was here. Before he spoke he watched Axel's face carefully as the older boy's eyes trailed down his body; he felt his face flush with colour as he noticed Axel's eyes taking on a hazy smolder, making Hope feel as if he would catch fire at any moment, sending a wave of heat up and down Hope's body. Hope was now second guessing weather or not he really wanted to ask Axel for the help he needed, at least not with that lustful look in his eyes, eyes that he noticed were now burning into his own. Hope's breath caught in his chest making him cough and sputter. **_**Now I feel like a complete baka**_**. Taking a deep breath Hope broke eye contact and bent over to pick his jeans off the floor. **

"**Ummm Ax, you mind helping me with my…" He trailed off looking over to Axel whose eyes were glued to his backside again as he bent over. "Neeeeever mind…." He said standing up quickly and turning to face Axel, this look was something he had never seen before; it made his body feel like it was on fire, and he didn't like it. **_How could he have this effect on me, just by looking at me?_

**Axel gave Hope a disappointed look as his lovely view was taken away from him. Looking up to Hope's eyes Axel smiled wickedly at him. "Need some help, Hope? Sure thing…" He walked towards him, that fiery look intensifying with each step. Hope backed up a few steps until the back of his legs hit the end of his bed. Gasping, he looked back at the predicament he had gotten himself into. He didn't know what was wrong with him, he could be just as much of a cold snarky asshole as Riku could be, but when he was alone with Axel, he became this bumbling shy baka. "I-I think I'm okay n-now…" He stuttered as Axel's body stepped inches away from his. Axel smiled again, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. **

**Gulping, Hope watched his mouth and tongue carefully, his mind flashing with images of Axel and his tongue being put to good use on his body. **_No! What am I thinking? This is my brother's friend… _**Hope took a deep breath thinking about how Riku might react to this…then a thought hit him…**_Pshhh, what am I saying, who cares if he's Riku's friend, I'm not gay, I don't like Axel, and I'm NOT enjoying any of this! _**Hope closed his eyes tightly for a moment, willing his mind to stop with these images.**

"**What can I help you with…?" Axel said in a low raspy voice, a voice that made Hope's heart pound loudly in his chest, he opened his eyes again to look up at Axel, who he just noticed was a fair bit taller than him. "…are you looking for help putting something on," Axel's eyes trailed down Hope's bare chest, then back up to look in his eyes. "…or taking off?" As he spoke he took his finger and hooked the top of Hope's underwear, pulling them down and out slightly and letting his finger run along the edge, while trailing along hopes skin. **

"**O-off… I mean ON! I need m-my pants…" Hope watched Axel's eyes, breathing heavily; he wondered if Axel could hear his heart pounding as loud as he could within his own ears. **

"**Hmmm, too bad…I'm really good with taking clothes off, I'm not sure how much help I'll be putting them back on again" Axel winked at the silver haired boy before leaning in a little closer to grab the pants from Hope's hand. He had to hold everything back not to kiss Hope's neck as he did.**

**Hope's eyes fluttered shut as he waited to feel Axel's lips against his neck; holding his breath as he felt his hot breath against his sensitive skin. **_What is he doing to me, what am I thinking…I can't do this…I'm not…I'm not feeling this…_**Hope gave a shiver as he thought about moments ago, Axel's finger against his skin.**

**Hope's eyes opened as Axel pulled away, a slight look of disappointment and at the same time relief. "Put your hands on my shoulders to steady yourself." Axel said his voice barely a whisper as he dropped to his knees. **_What is he doing…No, get up you're not going to… _**Hope's mind whet wild with the images of what Axel could be doing in this position. Hope placed his hands on either side of Axel's shoulders, looking down at him, his face now level with Hope's stomach. Hope took a deep shaky breath, licking his lips as Axel's eyes met his. **

**Axel gave a large grin at the look on Hope's face. He couldn't hold himself back any longer, slowly and carefully he leaned in, placing a few small kisses along Hope's muscular stomach. He felt the boy's good hand squeezed his shoulder, and he looked up to see him biting his lip as he attempted to hold back a small moan. Smiling, Axel ran his tongue along the top edge of Hope's underwear, causing him to suck in a quick breath. Axel's eyes trailed up the gorgeous body again, as Riku's voice filled his head. **_"My brother is off limits, I told you that before we left! Don't touch him, Axel."_**Axel's smile grew as he thought of what Riku would say if he were here now. **_Well he's not here now...and what he doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides when I'm finished with Hope, he will be begging Riku to let me touch him. Who am I to deny the needy__**? **_**With that thought he placed another small kiss on Hope's hip. **

_Mmmm, yes…_** Hope thought as he squeezed Axel's shoulder again. **_Yes! Oh God, yes…wait…no..No…_**"No!" Hope pushed away from Axel, taking a step back and finding he was still against the foot of his bed and couldn't move any farther. "I-I …" Hope stuttered avoiding Axel's eyes. **

"**Hn," Axel smirked at the boy. "Relax… here, lift your foot." Axel could see the uneasiness in Hope's eyes, and decided now was not a good time to push him. **

**Hope looked back down at Axel as he held the pair of jeans out to him to slip his legs into. After he put both feet in Axel came to his feet, pulling the jeans up with him. He moved his hands to the front button. Before Hope could protest Axel fastened the button and pulled the zipper up, as he did, his fingers pinched the fabric at the crotch so it would slide up easily, at the same time copping a feel. Hope gulped again, attempting to hide the affect the red head was having on his now slightly hard member. **

"**You're done…" Axel smiled down at the boy who was standing close to him, so close he could smell a hint of shampoo mixed with the smell of the ocean, a smell he gained from so many days spent in the water or laying on the beach. They stood there, eyes connecting, for what seemed like hours, before they were distracted by a small buzzing sound. **

**Reaching into his pocket Axel pulled out his phone, bringing it up to his ear, all the while not breaking contact with Hope's turquoise eyes, another thing that reminded him of the ocean and Riku. "Hello?" Axel put a finger on Hope's chest letting it trail down to the edge of his pants, hooking it slightly between the layers of fabric so he could feel his skin again. He paused in that position as he listened to the voice on the line, before letting his hand drop to his side and turning to walk out of the room.**

"**Hey, man! Long-time no chat, how's it going?" Hope could hear the red heads voice fade. Letting out a big sigh Hope flopped back on his bed **

"**Holy shit…" He mumbled to himself thinking he could use another shower, though this time it would need to be ice cold. He looked down at himself, noticing his pants were fitting a little tighter than normal, he sure as hell hoped Axel was too distracted by his phone call to notice the bulge.**

_***end flashback***_

_(AX)_

Coming back to reality, Axel moved into the living room and with one swift movement picked hope's feet up from one end of the couch before he sat down, he then carefully placed the Hope's feet on his lap, resting his arm across his ankles.

Axel could feel Hope's eyes on him, so he looked over at him and gave him his signature smile, one that he was told made whoever was on the other end of it want to jump him right then and there so they could lick the stupid smile off his face. Axel gave a soft chuckle as a warm red glow rushed to Hope's cheeks, immediately causing him to bury his face back into the book. Axel turned his attention to the T.V. in front of him. He wasn't a big fan of television he was mostly into watching movies, he knew there would be nothing on that he wanted to watch, but decided it gave him a good excuse to sit there. He liked being close to someone, especially since his best friend was being completely emo lately and taking off all the time. He paused on a channel and smiled at the show that was playing, happy to see something he could be mildly entertained by.

_(HP)_

Hope felt Axel's hand running down his bare leg, causing his stomach to do flip flops as he attempted to read his book. _**The gate was open, so James entered the yard hoping the dog was inside...**_He took a deep breath, glancing at Axel's hand again then up to the redhead, who gave him one of those smiles that just made him want to…never mind. Hope would never admit to what it really made him feel like doing, because he never felt like that…right? A deep shade of red crossed his face, causing the redhead to raise an eyebrow at him. Embarrassed he buried his face back to his book._**The gate was open, so James entered the yard hoping the dog was inside... **__Oh God, I wish he would stop touching me like that…__**The gate was open, so James entered the yard hoping the dog was inside...**_

"Agggg, I've read the same sentence three friggin' times!" He announced, and then realized he just said that out loud. Hope glanced up to Axel, his hand now massaging Hope's foot as he casually flipped through the channels again, as if he hadn't heard a word, as the show he was watching went to commercials. Hope tossed his book on the table, his eyes never leaving Axel's hand as it moved to slide up his shin again. _Okay, I have to do something about this…_

_(AX)_

Axel glanced over when he heard the slap of the book on the table. He was a little surprised to see Hope watching him so intently. "You Okay?" He asked, looking at him with a raised eyebrow, he may have acted like he hadn't heard the boy's exclamation before he decided to forgo the book he was reading, but he had, and internally he was grinning from ear to ear.

_(HP)_

Hope quickly pulled his feet out from Axels arm, placed them on the floor, jumped to his feet, and then ran upstairs. _Shit…Shit….SHIT! Okay, you're fine; just think of something to get your mind off it… _He thought to himself as he slammed the door of his room behind him, he then walked over to his bed, flopping himself down on his back, and closing his eyes.

_Could he see? No, I was too fast…right? It's not like I was completely hard, that would have been tough to hide. Okay…a Grandma naked…a grandma naked, A GRANDMA NAKED!_ He gave a long sigh as his erection slowly disappeared. _This can't happen again, I need to be tough…I need to be myself, more like Riku. That Jerk, Riku never warned me about his friend being not only gay, but a total sex hound._ Not that Axel being gay mattered to him, it's just then he would have been aware of the possibilities, and no, not for what you think, but for the possibility that Axel may come on to him at some point.

Hope got to his feet, he would just go to the bathroom then go back downstairs and everything would be fine. He would act more like he did with Riku… actually; he was getting sick of fighting with this brother. He didn't know what came over him, but every time Riku was around he just wanted to cause him pain, the same pain that he felt when Riku left him that night.

_Can I still blame him for everything that happened? Sure, I'm mad at him…he shouldn't have left, or rather he should have taken me with him…but he left me behind along with all his problems he was trying to run away from. He said he would always fucking protect me!_ Tears began to form in Hope's eyes, he suddenly felt overwhelmingly depressed and tired. He would deal with Axel later; now, he just wanted to go to bed. Not bothering to change, he knew it would just be pain in the ass, with his hand the way it was, and he wasn't about to ask Axel for help. Flopping on the bed, he pulled the covers over his head, and drifted off into a restless sleep, his mind flooding with dark images from the past.

**XXXX**

**Okay! Another chapter down! Please take time to Review. I really, _really_ need some encouragement on this story. Having writers block isn't helping, a few good reviews will help. then I know that you like what's happening to far and if I should keep going in this direction.**

**BTW, I have the next chapter almost ready so if I get lots of reviews, not only will I post sooner, but I will give those who review a special sneak peek into the next chapter! ^.^ YAY!**

**Thanks for reading, Ya'll!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone! Sorry for the wait. I've had a very few weeks, with three deaths. Two friends, and my dog. So I didn't really see the point in posting anything, since it would end up being crap. Anyway...enough about me, I wrote an extra long chapter this time, hopefully you will enjoy it. Can't say this will be how long the other chapters will be, so don't get used to it. ^.^**

**I would really appreciate some feedback. Are you enjoying the story? Is is crap? Constructive feedback, please. Be gentle, it's my first time lol.**

**As far as Riku and Sora go, I'm sorry it's taking so long! I know they are probably the only reason you are reading this Fic. I PROMISE the story will be focusing more on them together starting in the next chapter, though they are both in this chapter.**

**Enough of my jibber jabber! Happy reading!**

**I own NOTHING!**

*Two weeks later*

It was nearly six in the morning and Hope was tempted to wake Axel for help with his clothes again. Getting dressed was one of the hardest things for him to do, but ever since that first day when Axel walked in on him, he just couldn't quite bring himself to ask for the help. So he usually wore something easy to pull up, like sweat pants, so he would be able to avoid that situation completely. He couldn't help worry that Axel would try something again, but even more worried about how he felt about the idea. Every time he thought about the redhead, his stomach would flutter like he swallowed thousands of butterflies, though he would never admit to having these feelings, even to himself. To him they were just indicators of how frustrating he found the redhead; they were flutters of anger, nothing more.

The thought occurred to him to wake his brother, but considering he had not come home until well after three in the morning again, it probably wouldn't go over very well. Though Riku probably wouldn't have even been out last night if it weren't for what happened.

It all happened so fast, ending with Hope tossing a picture frame at his head. Thinking back on it all Hope actually felt bad about it, as much as he was mad at the way Riku was acting, he knew it wasn't the only thing that set him off that night.

The first thing to happen that really put him in a bad mood was the phone call he received from his boss, Xemnas. When he first called work to let them know about his hand being broken, he was assured that he wouldn't have to come into work until it was all better. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Around five that evening he got a phone call saying he had to come back to work. Xemnas had said that just because his hand was broken, didn't mean they couldn't find him something to do. When he told his boss, who he hated with a passion, that he wasn't planning on coming in until he was better, Mansex, as him and his co-workers so affectionately called him behind his back, told him that if he didn't come to work the next day, he would no longer have a job. Fan-fucking-tastic!

The second thing that added to his grumpiness was the fact that as much as he had been trying really hard to push Axel away over the last couple weeks, he found that it the redhead was not only unfazed by the way Hope was acting but apparently being a complete jerk to Axel just reminded him how much Hope and his brother were alike. This in turn made Axel only try harder to win Hope over. Hope, on the other hand, had been so focused on not focusing on Axel that he and Riku had been fighting less. It wasn't exactly like old times, but they were talking more, and they actually spent time at the beach together on one particularly nice afternoon. That was until last night…which brought him to the third and final reason he was mad, and the motivation for throwing the picture frame at his brother.

***flashback***

**Hope grumbled as he grabbed the pasta from the cupboard, he was trying to concentrate on making dinner and all he could think about was his asshole boss at his stupid work. They had just called to tell him he needed to come back to work. "We'll give you an easy job, you can just work on the till until your better" his manager had said to him over the phone. He wasn't about to admit to Mansex that he was fully capable of working, because really he hated working the till all the time, and he knew he would be stuck there until he had his hand back to normal. However, considering his job was a stake here, he didn't exactly have a choice. He was to start early the next morning, and he was now almost wishing he had punched that window with both his hands, at least then they wouldn't be able to force him back.**

**"Hey, Sparky…what cha' making?"**

**Hope jumped as he felt Axel come up close behind him, Sparky being Hopes new nickname Axel affectionately called him, due to his new attitude towards Axel. If he wasn't so distracted by his thoughts, he would have heard the redhead enter the room behind him and most likely would have told him to fuck off, in some form or fashion. That seemed to be the only decent reaction that Hope could give him that didn't end up making things worse. Unfortunately now that the redhead had caught him off guard, all that he could think of was the closeness of their bodies, and the fact that Axel's hand was now resting gently on his hip, as was his chin on Hope's shoulder.**

_'Yet another thing to add to my pissy'_**_ day_ he thought as he tried his best to force a blush away from his face. Axel noticed this and gave a soft smile, moving his finger in a small circular motion on the exposed skin between hopes low riding shorts, and his shirt. Hopes brows furrowed together as he attempted to compose himself, shifting his weight slightly from one foot to another.**

**This guy could not take a hint, Hope had been mentioning all week how he and his GIRLFREND were planning a date later that week, it didn't matter that he didn't actually have a girlfriend, but Axel didn't know that. Apparently, that didn't matter to him, because every chance Axel got, he made some pass at Hope, again causing him to blush, or choke on his food. Which in turn made Axel grin from ear to ear, causing Hope to only blush more.** _DAMN THAT STUPID BASTARD!_** Hope thought, but that wasn't the end of the agony that was his life, okay maybe he was being a little bit dramatic, but he couldn't help it!**

**"It's spaghetti…" Hope replied in monotone, hoping his voice would convey his annoyance by the use of the nickname as well as the closeness of the redhead. "…and it's ready" he reached over to the sink and drained the pasta. "Ri, dinner, come and get it!" He yelled for his brother as he added butter to the pasta, all the while Axel keeping close to him as he grabbed the plates and parmesan cheese to place by the pot for serving. At least he's helping… Hope thought.**

**Hope turned around to leave the kitchen; he wasn't exactly hungry at the moment so he figured he would leave the two older boys to enjoy the dinner he made, while he went to go take a shower. He decided he wasn't in the mood to deal with idle chit chat; he might come back later and have a little to eat. Another advantage of doing this would prevent him from having to sit though yet another dinner of Axel giving him the eye when Riku wasn't looking.**

**That was yet another thing that puzzled Hope a little, the fact that any time Axel showed the smallest bit of attraction for him, was when Riku was either out of the house for the evening, or just out of the room.**_ Maybe he's worried that Riku would be jealous, it does look like they have a closer relationship them most guys. MAYBE they are ex-lovers and Axel really only wants to make Riku jealous by flirting with me! Though, that doesn't explain the reason he's always doing it behind Riku's back…._

**As Hope turned to leave consumed by his thoughts and reasoning's he wasn't really paying attention to what was going on around him causing him to bump roughly into the redhead, who was at the same moment leaning over to grab his plate off the counter. Normally, no big deal, Hope would have glared, Axel would have smirked and they would have gone their separate ways yadda, yadda, yadda same old story. However, to Hope's shock and embarrassment, his lips connected hard with Axel's, causing both boys eyes to shoot open with surprise. What happened next was just the cherry on top of Hope's shitty evening.**

**First, the touch of Axel's lips on his made his stomach leap into his chest, which only became worse as the initial rough meeting turned into a soft probing. Axel was the first to recover and decided to deepen the kiss; he wrapped his arms around Hope's waist and pulled him close against his warm body. Hope's eyes fluttered closed involuntarily at the feeling of Axel's warm lips, and his slim yet muscular body against his, making his heart beat spike, causing a loud pounding in his ears.**

**He was completely unaware of anything that was happening around him. He had no idea where he was, who he was, and definitely not realizing how wrong this all was, at least it would have been in his mind. All he could focus on was the feeling of his lips against the others. Hope sighed at the soft taste of mint and chocolate, Axel's favorite treat that he always seemed to be eating. Axel's tongue brushed across Hope's bottom lip, begging for access, to which Hope hesitantly granted only opening his mouth slightly. He shivered feeling Axel's tongue push quickly into his mouth caressing and exploring every inch. He felt overwhelmed by the feeling coursing through his body; he couldn't put a name to the feeling.**

**Axel poured all the built up desire he had over the past two weeks into the kiss, worrying this would be the last and only one the boys would share together. He had to show Hope how he felt, and he planned on showing him through this kiss.**

**Hope let out a soft moan as Axel pulled him closer to his body, if that was even possible. Hope melted into the redhead; his knees giving away, letting the strength of Axel's arms hold him.**_ I have to pull away; I can't stand for this any longer. I should get mad, Punch him and tell him to leave…_** Hope thought, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. After a few moments, Axel broke the kiss, to Hope's surprise and….was that disappointment? Both boys gasped for air, forgetting to breathe in all the excitement.**

**Axel examined Hope's face, noticing his eyes were half closed, darkened by the intense passion they had just shared. Axel gave a small chuckle, brushing his thumb over the silverette's red swollen lips. "Hmmm, I always did prefer dessert before dinner." He whispered his voice deep and throaty. Hopes eyes connected with his and there was a slight change in them, almost a realization of what just happened. Before Hope could react or pull away, there was a small sound beside them.**

**"Ax, what the hell do you think you are doing?" Riku growled at his best friend the anger visible in his eyes. He could tell by the look on Riku's face that he had been standing there for a while, and had seem a lot more than either of the embracing boys wanted him to.**

**"Ummm…I- ummm…Shit." Axel stuttered, he didn't know exactly how to answer that question, he knew he was screwed. Riku had specifically told him to keep his hands OFF his brother, and as much as Axel had tried, he'd been very attracted to Hope and wanted to be with him, a new realization for him in the last week, he definitely didn't want Riku to find out this way. He was planning on talking to Riku later that night about it, hopping that if his friend knew how he really felt, and that he actually was starting to have feelings for the younger sibling, he might change his mind. Then again, he wasn't really sure if Hope was fully aware of his own feelings yet, but with Riku's blessing he was willing to take all the time he needed to pull Hope's true feelings out.**

**"How could you Ax, you know what I said…"Riku said through clenched teeth. "Did you think I was joking when I told you to keep your HANDS OFF MY BROTHER! He is OFF LIMITS!" Riku's fists clenched and Axel could tell that if he didn't get away from Hope, who was still pressed against him, it would be the end of his sexual life. He needed to move now, or risk being castrated on the spot. Quickly he dropped his arms from around Hopes waist, stepping back a few feet. "Sorry, Sparky." Axel mumbled to Hope as he watched his friend carefully, he had to say something to Riku. Opening his mouth to explain himself, he quickly closed it again as Hope's voice spoke loud and strong.**

**"What do you mean 'off limits'" Hope glared at his brother "Who are you to say who I can or cannot kiss? Where the FUCK do you get off telling anyone they can't come near me! I am fully capable of determining who the best is for me and my happiness! I don't need you going behind my back and telling someone that they can't make a pass at me, just because you think it's the best thing!" Axel looked on in complete shock, an maybe a little bit of triumph, as Hope expressed his anger at Riku. Did this mean that hope really did like him? Or was he just pissed of at his brother for getting involved in his 'love life'**

**"What? No, it's not like that…you don't know how he can be sometimes; he's…he's... I just don't want to see you get hurt!" Riku pleaded. His relationship just started to improve with Hope and he didn't want to ruin all the progress they made. He knew that Axel was a bit of a player, especially when it came to guys who looked like his brother. He knew Axel enjoyed taking advantage of their innocents and teach them everything he knew about the wonders of "playtime" as he called it. Normally, it never bothered Riku that was until the target became his little brother.**

**"FUCK YOU! I am hurt! I hurt every fucking day, and no, it's not because of Ax it's because of you! You left me here, you said you would come back, and you didn't."**

**Riku looked at Hope with shock, this was the first they had talked about their past. Every time Riku tried to talk to Hope about what went on after he left, he would just clam up. "I-I'm sorry, but I couldn't…"**

**"Couldn't my ass, it's more like you wouldn't! You weren't here when I needed you the most, when I needed your direction, and now you think you can walk in after this many years and tell me who I can and cannot kiss? I don't think so! If I decide Axel is going to take me upstairs right now to fuck my brains out, well you better just sit back and shut up, because if I hear one more word about you telling me how to live my life or telling anyone who is involved with me how to live theirs then believe me, you will regret it."**

**Riku's eyes went cold looking between Axel and Hope. "Fine, go ahead Hope…Ax, take hope upstairs and fuck his brains out…" a small smirk came across Riku's face as he called hope's bluff. He never expected Hope to actually go through with it, he waited to see Hope attempt to retract his statements, but to his surprise hope grabbed Axel by the hand and pulled him past Riku, towards the stairs. Giving Riku a shoulder shove, pushing him out of the way as he made his way upstairs to Hope's room. Once there Hope slammed the door behind him with a loud crash.**

**Riku stood there for a moment in shock, not really sure what to do with himself. Then he heard hope's voice from upstairs. "Alright Ax, you heard him, now strip!"**

**Riku's anger exploded, turning on his heel he bolted upstairs and burst into Hope's room only to see his brother and best friend standing close to each other, Hope's shirt was already off and had been tossed across the room, and Hope's hands were sliding up the redhead's bare chest as he pushed his shirt up. Neither boy noticed the uncomfortable look on poor Axel's face as he was caught in the middle of the battle.**

**"Get the hell out!" Hope yelled grabbing a picture frame off his dresser and throwing it at Riku's head. Riku dogged the flying object, standing up and walking back out the door. Just before he slammed it behind him he looked towards his friend who had a look of uncertainty across his face. **

**"Axel, if you do this…" He glared at his friend for a moment not being able to finish his threat; instead he turned and left, closing the door behind him. He couldn't stay, knowing what was going on in the room above him. Grabbing his jacket he walked out the front door, slamming it behind him.**

***end flashback***

After Riku left that night Hope pushed himself into Axel, he fully intended to go through with letting Axel have his way with him. What surprised him the most was that Axel pushed him away.

"I'm sorry, Sparky…you have no idea how much I want to do this, but it's not right. I never should have pushed myself on you, and now when you and Riku seemed to be in a good place, I fucked things up again."

Hope opened his mouth to say something when Axel spoke again. "No, don't protest…it all stops now. Besides, I like you too much to take advantage of your anger like this."

Axel gave a small happy smile, though the happiness didn't continue to his eyes, he then left the room without another word. Hope stood there in shock as he listened to the front door click shut and the start of a car in the driveway. He was now alone in the house, feeling unusually rejected. His plan was intended to piss off Riku and to make his point, but he realized as he stared at the empty doorway to his room, that he actually was upset that Axel left. Was it because he was disappointed that Riku managed to control his life again, or could it actually be that he had feelings for the redhead….Nahh, that couldn't be it, he had no feelings for the older boy, and never would…he wasn't gay, end of story.

Hope pulled on his shirt, finally after almost an hour; he was dressed and ready for work. He wore a black collared polo shirt with short sleeves, with a pair of black dress pants and dress shoes. On one wrist he had a black and white checked band that his friend had given him, he wore it not only because it reminded him of his friend, but also because it covered the small tattoo he had on his wrist. So far he had been able to keep it hidden from everyone he knew except his best friend, who he would be working with today. The tattoo was a bit of a drunken mistake.

One night he and his friend were discussing their past, it was definitely a topic that needed hard liquor, so between the two of them they downed a giant bottle of Jack Daniels and half a bottle of crown royal within a couple hours.

"I go an ideeeer..." his friend slurred, wrapping his arm around Hope's shoulder." I've a-always *hic* wanna tattoo"

"Really? Meeeeeee tooooooo! Dude, we totagly shhhhhhould." Hope grinned stupidly. He quickly got to his feet, wobbling a little as if he was going to fall, and then turned to his friend to help him up."cameeer, I help...we go!" He said enthusiastically

So that was it, they found the closest tattoo shop went in, picked what they wanted and the next morning, had forgotten all about it, until his friend called him the next day freaking out.

Hope smiled a little at the memory as he grabbed his back pack and quietly left the room. As he approached the kitchen he caught a glimpse of spiked red hair around the corner._ Shit...what's he doing up?_ He wondered to himself. He really didn't want to see him after what happened last night. He was so embarrassed how he reacted to what Riku had said. He couldn't believe he was actually going to let Axel have sex with him. _What was I thinking? What if he would have gone through with it? He thought as he recalled the night before. Agggg, you idiot!_ He cursed his stupidity and over reaction. He hoped that he would be out of the house for the day before seeing either of the two older boys. Deciding this was still his goal for the morning, he went to make a quick U-turn to exit via the front door when Axel looked up, catching his eye.

" Morning..." Axel said casually, before continuing to read the newspaper in front of him.

_What? Just like that? He's so causal, like nothing even happened!_ Hope thought with a tad bit for frustration, as he examined the top of Axel's head._ Am I just over reacting to this whole thing? Aggg well, he saw me so I can't just leave now…_"Uhhh, morning." Hope replied as he looking at his feet. He bit his lip, trying to force the blush of embarrassment from his cheeks. Axel stood up and walked over to the kitchen sink, placing his empty cup there to be washed, before tossing the newspaper on the counter. He looked up at Hope with a small smile, feeling a little bad for everything that happened the night before. "Ummm, how'd you sleep?" Axel asked rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

"Yeah, okay…" Hope said still not meeting Axels eyes.

"Yeah, me too…I uhhh, talked to Riku last night…" Hope looked at him surprised. "I ran into him as we both came home around the same time last night. I told him what happened after he left, and well…what happened in the kitchen too." Hope looked at axel with a raised eyebrow, what exactly had he told him.

"What did you tell him…"He asked

"Well, I said it was my fault, I kissed you…among other things." Axel smirked as he recalled the night he helped Hope dress. "He's cool…well with you anyway. He's still pissed off at me, but he'll get over it."

Hope looked at Axel in surprise; he had just risked his friendship so help him. So maybe he wasn't such a bad guy after all. "I-uhhh don't know what to say…thanks I guess." Hope felt a tiny bit of anger eating at him, he should be happy that Axel helped patch things up with Riku, but he wasn't. Maybe it was because it just made everything that was said between the brothers just disappear, water under the bridge so to speak, but Hope had a point he was trying to make. Riku had no right stepping in like that, even though Hope had no intention of having a relationship with Axel, he still didn't like the idea that his brother was attempting to control that part of his life. "Well, I hope you two work things out, I really don't want to be in the middle of such close friends."

"Hn, he's like my brother, I've done worse things to him and he's forgiven me. Aaaahaaa, like that time when we got really drunk at this party, we ended up waking up in some random bed completely Na…." Axel trailed off for a moment. "Ummm, never mind, it actually wasn't that big of a deal we were just completely hung-over…and yeah…that's right…and he was mad cause I was supposed to be the D.D."

Hope gave him a small suspicious look, knowing there was more to the story then Axel let on, maybe he would press Riku for the story when he wasn't in such a sour mood.

"So Sparky, are you heading to work? Let me give you a ride, it's the least I can do."

Hope gave a small sigh, seems like he was keeping his new nickname, might as well get used to it. "Sure, thanks Ax that would be great.

After about a fifteen minute excruciatingly quiet ride, Axel parked the car in front of the Starbucks and turned to face Hope with a smile. "So this is where you work?" he asked trying to make at least a little conversation before he left, he was angry with himself because he was never shy, or awkward and now he could barely put two words together. What is this boy doing to me?

Hope looked at his hands as he gave a small nod." Yeah...it's not much but after everything that happened that's all I could keep right now."

"All you could keep...what do you mean? Axel asked with a frown.

" oh, Ummm..." hope didn't know what to say, he had said too much already, he wasn't planning on telling Axel anything about his past, or why he was working at Starbucks when he had a teaching degree, but then Axel didn't know anything about that either. In fact Hope had said very little to Axel or Riku about his past. How after Riku left it pushed their mom into a downward spiral of depression, she never left her room, never mind the house. Since that happened their dad had decided he needed a new anger outlet so he began beating Hope. Hope felt it was better that his father took his anger out on him rather than his fragile mother. Any opportunity he had to redirect his father's anger to himself, made him feel like he was accomplishing something positive in his life, even if it didn't mean much, it meant something to him.

Hope gave a heavy sigh, shaking the thoughts of his past from his mind, he didn't have time to dwell on the past right now. He only ever talked about it with his best friend, so he wasn't about to share anything with Axel, who sat there expectantly." Umm I uhhh, I'm going to be late, I better go." He replied without looking at Axel, he opened the car door to step out and felt Axel grasped his hand. Hope turned to look at his hand, his face becoming harm and flushed at the contact.

Axel squeezed Hopes hand watching as his turquoise eyes met Axels green, he smiled softly at him." You know that I'm here for you if you ever need to talk, I've had a fairly sketchy past myself, and I know how hard it can be to deal with things alone..." Axel trailed off his eye flashing with pain, only for an instant, though his face held a soft smile for Hope.

Hope smiled at the redhead, giving his hand a squeeze back, as their eyes met Hope could feel his face becoming warm again." Thanks Ax I..." Hope didn't say anymore as a loud thump was heard on the passenger window causing him to jump, letting a small very un-manly squeak escape him. Quickly he yanked his hand away from Axel, turning to look out the window. He glared at a cute, blue eyed brunette who was now holding his sides in silent laughter." Idiot..." he grumbled at he opened his door, letting it hit the brunette in the stomach, the sound of loud laughter filling the car. The brunette gave a small grunt as the door hit him; he then gave Hope a large goofy grin. "Hiya Hope, long time no see, how's it goin'?" The brunette bent over a little to peek inside the car, catching Axel's, eyes before his smile drew wider. Hope mumble a goodbye to Axel before he slammed the door shut in his friends face before walking past the brunette, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him towards Starbucks.

"Hey, Hope who's the redheaded bombshell in the car...is he single?" he said with a low whistle, his eyes still focused on the man in the car as he was practically dragged away. Hope looked back at Axel, his face flushed with annoyance as he pulled his friend along.

"Jeez Sora, is that all you think about?"

Sora turned to his friend as they walked into the building." Can you blame me, this is a small town and we don't get many new guys...the ones we have are either straight, married, butt-ugly, or assholes." He said counting each on his finger.

Hope rolled his eyes at his friend, he met Sora about fifteen years ago, but he had only become openly Bi about four years ago. Hope was fine with it, though it was a little awkward at first because at the time Sora had also told Hope how much he liked him. Sure, Hope loved Sora, but it was more brotherly affection. As much as it was hard for Sora to take, he had a feeling that was how Riku felt, besides the fact that Sora thought Hope was not yet ready to admit the fact that he was gay. Sora tried to talk to him about it, but Hope would always laugh and tell him that he just wanted to have someone to gossip about all the hot guys with.

"I already do that with you!" he replied in protest, to which Hope would only laugh again, saying the statement was true, but that didn't mean he was interested in guys. It just meant he liked to hear about his best friends interests, even if they weren't his own.

"That's what friends are for!" he would say, giving Sora a playful punch in the arm.

Once the friends got passed the initial awkwardness of Sora's confession they became a lot closer, they told each other everything. Hope even told him about his father and mother, though strangely enough he never mentioned Riku. No, it wasn't that he was ashamed of his brother; it was just never brought up. Also, when Riku was around in his younger years, he usually went over to Sora's house to play; he was afraid his family would embarrass him, or that Riku wouldn't be around to help hide the dysfunctions of the family. It was around the same time when Riku would leave the house for hours at a time to avoid the arguments, Hope never fully understand, it was just yelling, it wasn't like they weren't used to it. Then again, when he thought about it, it was also around the time their day would lock himself and Riku in his office for hours. Hope was always too afraid to disrupt them because he felt like he might make Riku get into more trouble then he already was. He knew he must have been getting into a lot of trouble when he disappeared in there, because many nights he could hear Riku crying and things crashing to the floor. Then their father would leave the room, telling hope not to disturb Riku, who was now sleeping because apparently Riku needed his rest after all the crying and apologizing he had just done. Hope had tired the door a few times to check on him anyway, but the door was always locked. Riku would be gone early the next day.

Hope laughed a little, he knew Sora was right, there was just not enough people in this small town "Well, he's my brother's best friend...but apparently he's off limits" Hope said with a mocking voice.

Sora stopped to look at Hope with wide eyes. "Wait...what? You never told me you had a brother!" He said with a frown. "when did this happen?"

"Hn, I've always had a brother, Sora."

"Well then why the hell have I never heard about him?" hope shrugged walking into the back room to get ready to start work. He really didn't know why he had never mentioned Riku before. He thought about it as he and Sora grabbed their aprons and punched in. Their manager Xemnas, or Mansex as they so affectionately called him, sent them both to the drive-Thu. This didn't upset the boys since this gave them the perfect opportunity to hide in the corner, and talk between customers. Also anything they wanted to say to each other could be said over the head set from across the store so only they could hear, it certainly made the shift go by faster.

Once they were settled Hope organized the pastries in the case, and Sora went to go do dishes. It wasn't long before the silence between the two boys was broken "I can't believe you never told me about your brother!" Sora's voiced announced over the head-set

"Sorry, I thought you knew." Hope lied.

"Bull-shit, you knew...what's wrong with him? Is he an asshole? Is he deformed? Or maybe he just lived in your attic where he fed off rats and scraps off your dinner plates for the fifteen years I've known you!"

Hope rolled his eyes at Sora's over active imagination. "No, Sora...he just was never around as much when we met. It was when my mom would take off that he was around the most, which was more towards the end. Then he just left one night, he said he would come back, and he never did. That's really all there is to it." Hope said, as evenly and casually as possible.

As much as Hope tried to hide it, Sora could still hear the pain in his friend's voice, he wanted to know more but decided now was a bad time to pry, maybe after a couple drinks." So he's back now, that's great!" He said in an overly cheerful voice, typical Sora.

"Nah, all we do is argue...and he still tries to control my life. He treats me like I'm still the little fourteen year old kid he left behind. He doesn't understand anything about me, or about things after he left!"

Sora lowered his voice "You can't expect him to understand if you never talk to him about it."

Hope was quiet for a long time as he thought about what Sora said. As much as Sora could be a little crazy and immature at times, he really could come through for him when he needed it. He was like a second brother to him, or maybe like his only brother since Riku never really was around.

After some time, Sora's voice piped up over the headset again." Sooo, uhhh tell me more about the redhead...if I didn't know any better is say you two have a little thing going on, hmmmm?" Sora let out a loud laugh as he heard his best friend choking on the water he had been sipping at the time. Hope was now taking a break, but decided to keep the head set on so he could still talk to Sora. It had been a long time since they had been able to talk, with everything going on.

"What the hell gave you that idea?" Hope replied defensively meeting Sora's eyes from across the room.

"Ummm, I don't know...maybe the fact that you two were holding hands and starring longingly into each other's eyes when I knocked on your window..."

Hope glared at his friend "it's nothing like that." He said, though the blush rising to his cheeks may have said differently. Sora looked at him with a large knowing grin

"Don't look at me like that...you know I'm not gay, for one and two, this guy is seriously the most annoying...uhhh...annoying..." he couldn't think of anything bad about the guy. This was not helping his case.

"Yes, Okay we established he is annoying..." Sora said sarcastically.

"Yeah! Well he his annoying, a-and he's constantly trying to get me into bed, he's a complete horn dog!" He practically yelled, getting the attention of a few customers as they passed him. His face turned a bright shade of red as he sunk in his seat.

"Mmmm, he sounds awesome! So when do I get to meet him?" Sora wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at his friend, to which he received a death glare. Sora laughed loud and long as he realizedby the look on Hope's face, that there was a lot more to this that Hope wasn't telling him." Alright...no more questions...for now, but we have to get together tonight and talk about this...and your brother." Hope gave a small nod.

"Oh. Hey...what about tonight? They are both going to be out for the night, you can come over and we can watch a movie. Like old times, maybe have a few drinks?"

"Awesome, but no tattoos this time Okay?" Sora laughed.

"Deal." Hope smiled as he finished his break and returned to work.

The rest of the day went by supper fast, as he left, he waved to Sora with a teasing grin, since he knew the brunette still had an hour left of work. "Have fun with that last hour!" He called to his friend who replied with a rude hand gesture disguised to seem like he was scratching his eye.

Sora watched his friend disappear from the window, before he ran to his boss to beg him to leave early. Surprisingly Mansex agreed, saying they had more than enough people to cover the last hour of his shift. Jumping for joy, he grabbed his stuff and ran to his car. He had a plan for tonight, if only he could make sure to show up a little early, then maybe he could see that redhead again. He planned on looking hot too, even if it didn't get him anywhere, maybe it would make hope jealous enough to admit his own feelings for the redhead that were so blatantly obvious to Sora. Who knows, maybe he would finally get to meet this mystery brother of his too. If he's anywhere near as hot as Hope is, then I better go get a new outfit. Sora thought to himself as he pulled out of the parking lot to head towards the Mall. "I gotta feelin', that tonight's gonna be a good night! That tonight's gonna be a good, good nighhht! Wooohooooo" Sora happily sang as he thought about the hours to come.

**Alrighty! Hope you liked it, please remember to review! Remember, if you _ review_ I will PM you a preview of the next chapter. ^.^ Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

**_Alright, I know this isn't a very good update for the amount of time I've left you all with. I'm sorry, unfortunately I have not had any access to a computer, to write or post, and will not have much more in the next little while. I will try my best to update with another chapter soon. So here is what I have so far, as much as I wanted it to be so much longer, I felt bad for making you all wait._**

**_Hope you enjoy, please review!_**

**_~Toxic S._**

It was getting closer to seven and neither Axel nor Riku had left yet." I thought you guys were going out tonight." Hope asked as he watched Axel sit down beside him on the couch. "I don't suspect we will be going anywhere for a while, the reasons being...one, Riku is in the shower and two, he has decided to become a eight year old and is giving me the silent treatment."

"What do you mean, I thought you guys talked things out...you guys have to go out." He said looking at the time. Sora would be there any minute and he was really hopping to have the house all to them. Plus the way Sora had reacted to Axel earlier made Hope want to slap his dear friend up the side of the head. It's not like he was jealous or anything, he just didn't like the idea of Sora flirting with his Axel...that is...his friend Axel...NO...his brothers friend Axel.

"I'm not going anywhere with someone I can't trust." Riku mumbled as he walked into the room. After his shower he decided that slipping on a comfy pair of black sweat pants that Hung loose around his hips, would be sufficient. He was shirtless and intended to stay like that for the remainder of the evening, until he went to bed where he would most likely sleep nude.

"What's wrong with you guys...look your best friends; don't let me get in between you." Hope's attempt to help the friendship went unnoticed as Riku yanked the channel changer from Axel's hand with a glare, before changing the channel to something he liked to watch. Hope gave a frown and continued to speak.

"Riku, I encouraged him...I was trying to get you pissed off, and look it worked! I mean nothing happened...just harmless flirtation" when nothing was said, he continued. He had to say something to get them out. Then a thought occurred to him, maybe he couldn't get them to talk, but maybe he could stir things up a bit. He gave a small laugh, looking over to Riku

"Wow bro, your mad now after seeing us kiss, I would not have wanted to see you that night when Axel walked in on me after my shower, I was almost completely nude. Oh, and the look on Axel's face was priceless. Then when he got down on his knees in front of me I was sure he was going to..." Riku stood up suddenly throwing the channel change on the table with a large crack.

"Stupid son of a...I'm going out." Hope smiled in triumph as he watched his brother walk across the room towards the stairs. He turned to look at Axel and was met with angry eyes. The look he had said '_what the Hell was that!'_ Hope opened his mouth to comment when there was a knock on the door. Hopes body stiffened at the realization that he took too long to get rid of his brother and friend. He jumped up to grab the door but stopped quickly when he noticed Riku hadn't gone up stairs yet and was now heading for the door to answer it.

Sora stood in front of the door knocking softly. When no one answered after a moment, he looked at his watch. He had intentionally come a little early, hoping that he would catch Axel and Hope's brother before they left for the evening. He couldn't get those piercing green eyes and bright mass of red spiked hair out if his mind. The redhead intrigued him, and he was incredibly curious about his best friend's brother. He couldn't believe Hope had never mentioned him before. He wondered what he would be like, and worried he might be a complete asshole that treated Hope like his father used to.

Sora shook his head attempting to erase the thought from his mind. Nahhh, he couldn't be like that He thought because Hope, as much as he seemed mad at his brother, also seemed to show the love in his eyes at the mere mention of him. Sora was a pro at reading his best friend, and even if Hope refused to admit he missed his brother and was happy he was home, Sora knew the truth. Sora jumped slightly as he was pulled from his thoughts as he heard voices on the other side of the door.

Riku reached for the door, surprised to have his hand slapped away as Hope stepped in front of him. "You can't answer that, it's my date….and…uhhh, and I said no one else would be home." He looked at Riku with pleading eyes. Riku deadpanned for a moment before a large grin spread across his face.

"Whaaaat, my little bro has a date?" He shoved him playfully, forgetting the anger he once had only mere minutes ago. "Well, why didn't you just say so? I would have gone out."

Hope let his shoulders fall, why had he not thought of this earlier. He glanced over to the redhead on the couch who was flipping through the channels so fast; he couldn't possibly be paying attention to what he was looking at. By the look on his face Hope could tell he overheard the announcement of his guest and why they were there.  
>Hope put on his best puppy eyed face, holding his hands out in front of him, in a praying gesture "So could you please, please, PLEASE disappear? Oh, and take Axel with you." Riku's face hardened at the mention of Axel as he glanced over at the redhead. As much as he didn't want to do anything with Axel at the moment, he knew he would much rather see hope have a nice quiet evening with his date, and he knew that would only happen if he took Axel with him. "Alright…" he said quietly. He then glanced back at Hope then at the door, before a grin appeared on his face again. "…but only if I get to meet your date first."<p>

_Shit!_Hope thought, as he looked at the door. He couldn't possibly open the door to reveal his best friend, not only would Sora obviously NOT be his date, but if he did manage to make Sora play along, he doubted anyone would believe it. Especially considering how adamant he was about not being gay. What the hell was he going to do now?

Riku glanced at the door, then back at his brother. "Well are you going to just leave her out there?" He raised an eyebrow at how Hope was acting; did he not want to introduce him to his date? Was he that ashamed of his own brother? Riku pushed those thoughts from his mind as he reached for the door again, jumping slightly as a loud knock came again from the other side. Hope Jumped in front of his brother as the door opened to reveal a very annoyed Sora, who stood with his arms across his chest. "What the hell took you so damn long; I could hear you talking in front of the door." He complained attempting to look past Hope to see who was standing behind him.

"Sora, I'm so glad you're here. I'm sorry to leave you out here…I didn't hear you knock." Hope leaned in hesitantly before kissing Sora on the cheek and pulling him into a tight hug. No one could miss the shock on Sora's face as this happened, especially not the gorgeous half naked man who was casually leaning against the door frame watching the two boys with a soft smile.

As he was being squeezed in a death grip by this new overly friendly Hope, he let his eyes examine the tall silver haired man. He couldn't help to think he knew those eyes somewhere, a feeling of familiarity washing over him as he met eyes with Riku. _Well this must be Sora's brother. You can tell they look a little alike, that must be why he looks so familiar._ Sora thought as he watched Riku. Riku's smile suddenly turned into a look of surprise as cerulean blue eyes met turquoise, he looked as if he wanted to say something, but all he could do was open and close his mouth like a fish out of water. Sora's attention was then pulled away as Hope whispered in his ear "Please, PLEASE just play along…I'll owe you BIG!" Hope then wrapped his hand around Sora's, lacing their fingers together and pulling the confused, yet curious, brunette into the house.

Axel was instantly on his feet standing before the open door, a look of pure shock coming over his face as he watched Hope interact with the brunette. _Isn't that the kid that gave me the eye this morning?_ He wondered as he thought back to that morning when he dropped Hope off at work. Everything that morning came to his mind, especially Hope's reaction to the brunette as he checked Axel out. He could have sworn the look of annoyance that Hope showed towards the brunette was because of his jealousy. _ Maybe there was more to that then I thought. I thought Hope was jealous because of the attention I was getting, but if these two really are dating, then maybe he was jealous of the attention this brunette was giving. Hold on a sec…I thought Hope said he had a GIRLFRIEND, not a BOYFRIEND. What the hell! _Axel's face went from shock to annoyance as Hope and Sora approached him, he refused to believe this was happening. Folding his arms across his chest Axel gave the new boy a hard glare, making a decision in that moment that he would never like him.

Hope pulled Sora toward the stairs; he wanted to get away from the burning look Axel was giving them, as well as the questions that were bound to follow. He felt a small pang of guilt as he glanced at the redhead, he knew exactly what was going through Axel's mind and in a small way he actually hoped Axel wasn't to upset with him. Hope spoke quickly trying his best not to look at the two older boys as he pulled Sora along "Well you two have a great night, Sora and I want to be alone…it's been a while since we have had any…umm…_quality time_ together." He said the last in a way that suggested more, which he immediately regretted as the Brunette quirked an amused eyebrow at him. His cheeks turned a light shade of red as he pulled Sora towards his bedroom, happy this nightmare would soon be over once they were behind closed doors.

Riku pulled himself out of his stupor at that moment, his eyes blinking as they followed the brunette as he was practically dragged from the room. He realized he had to stop him from leaving with Hope; he desperately wanted to know more about him, get a chance to talk to him. The recognition of his brothers boyfriend being the owner of the same eyes that had been taunting him every night, made him even more determined to keep them downstairs. Not to mention the suggestion of what they intended to do made Riku feel something bubble up inside him. He didn't know what the feeling was, but he didn't like it and intended on preventing any _quality time_ from happening between the two boys that night.

"Whoa, hold on there, Hope. You can't just take off like that, I insist on being introduced to your lovely _boyfriend_." Riku gave Sora one of his most sincere, blindingly gorgeous smiles, as he walked towards him. He offered Sora his hand, looking deeply into his eyes. Riku felt his heart flutter as Sora returned his smile and clasped his had with his "Hello I'm Riku, Hope's brother. Welcome to our home, please have a seat. Can I get you anything to drink?" Riku gave Hope a small wink as he wrapped his arm around Sora's shoulders and leading him away to the couch. Hope watched as Sora was pulled away from him towards the middle of the living room. He didn't know what to do. He would never be able to pull this off, even if Sora went along with this ridiculous plan.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Riku, I'm Sora. Hope has told me so much about you!" Riku stifled a laugh as Hope shot him with a death glare. "I will take a pop, if you have any." Sora smiled. Riku watched Sora take a seat before he moved into the kitchen to grab a can of pop for Sora.

Sora's eyes met Axel's and he couldn't help but flash the redhead one of his signature blinding grins at the open scowl across his face. He remembered seeing him earlier that morning and he could instantly tell how Axel felt about his friend. He had seen that look before in his own eyes, before he found out Hope "wasn't gay" which Sora knew was really only half true. He felt bad for Axel because he was sure Hope had been leading him on to think that he was straight and not interested, and now here he was introducing them to his new boyfriend. He giggled softly to himself as he sat on the couch across from Axel, who continued to glare at him. He crossed his legs at the ankle before turning to Hope, and smiling softly. He couldn't help but take advantage of the situation Hope had put him in, he had always wanted to be with Hope in this way, and Hope did tell him to play along. Maybe he would regret it later, but he wasn't about to think about that now. "Come sit with me, lover." He grinned wickedly at his friend as Hope's scowl hardened before he let a long sigh pass his lips. Once Hope was sitting a little ways away from him, Sora's wicked grin grew as he slid closer to Hope, wrapping his arm in a tight hug and resting his head on the silverette's shoulder.

Hope cleared his throat, staring nervously at the floor with a slight frown. What was he getting himself into? Never mind that, how was he going to get himself out of it! Riku returned then, breaking the awkward silence that was coming over the room. "So Hope, how long have you and Sora been dating?" He watched his brother carefully, attempting to cover the smirk playing across his lips as he sat across from the couple. "Ummm…I umm" Hope stuttered, twisting his hand in his lap. This really was torture for him. "I think it's been about a month….right lover?" Sora said with another one of his bright grins. Hope felt his face flush, why did Sora have to keep calling him that. "Umm yeah about that long, I think." Hope shifted uncomfortably as he finally met his brother's eyes, and then turned to look at Axel. Both boys had such different looks on their faces, it almost made Hope laugh. Riku looked sincerely interested in his little brother's new relationship, though he couldn't really tell if the interest was in the relationship itself, or Sora. Axel on the other hand, was glaring so openly between Hope and Sora that he was sure they would both burst into flames at any moment.

"Really, that long Hope? So you were dating before Ax and I even arrived here. Strange we haven't met before now, Sora" Riku looked at the brunette with a small smile, as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. He watched as Sora's eyes trailed over his arm and chest before meeting his eyes, reminding him he was still shirtless. Raising his eyebrow at the obvious blush that was now spreading across the brunettes face, he sat back to relax against the chair. "Well I was away for the last week on a trip…"Sora started to explain.

"So that's why Sora and I were looking to spent a little _quality time_ together. We just missed each other so much." Hope interrupted, finally getting enough nerve to join in on his plan. Riku frowned slightly at this because at that moment he knew someone wasn't telling the complete truth. Could it be that Sora wasn't completely honest with his brother? Because Riku was sure he had seen Sora, in his room only a couple days ago. Riku pushed the thought away for now as he decided that it wasn't that important, at least not at the moment. "Well Sora, you know you are more than welcome to come and visit any time you want. In fact, why don't you come for dinner over the weekend? I will make my specialty, and we can all get to know each other better, what do you say?"

Riku placed another one of those blindingly gorgeous smiles across his face, making it entirely too difficult for Sora to think straight, never mind vocally respond to the question put before him. So he merely gave his head a small nod, a smile forming on his pink pouty lips. How could he let Hope pull him into this situation? Not only was Hope causing more problems for him and any potential interest Axel was willing to pay to him, but now Sora was unable to make any type of pass at his friend's godlike brother, which was completely unfair in his opinion.

The evening continued with some light hearted conversation. Hope seemed to relax as the topic pulled away from his new "relationship" and on to some lighter topics. Even Axel seemed to relax a little and get involved in the conversation. At the moment he was having a somewhat excited conversation with Sora about some video game Hope had never heard of, Kingdom of the hearts…or something like that. Hope watched his brother carefully. There was something about the look on his face at the moment, as he watched Sora practically re-enacted a scene from the game, laughing as he pretended to fight off all the bad guys. It could have been amusement, because it was most definitely one of the funniest things of the evening, but there was a hint of something else Hope just couldn't put his finger on. Axel's loud laugh interrupted his thoughts, causing him to glance over as he helped Sora up off the floor. Apparently, Sora got so excited as he talked about this one battle, that he jumped up to demonstrate the finishing move he used, only to completely loose his balance and fall flat on his face.

"Ouch my nose, It's not bleeding is it?" Sora whined, his eyes stinging with tears. "Hey! It's not funny, that really hurt!" He yelled standing with a half-hearted glare, his hands placed firmly on his hips as Axel held his sides with laughter.

"It was a little funny; I swear it was in complete slow motion too!" Riku smirked as Sora transferred his glare to him. "Glad to know I amuse you to so much." Sora replied with a huff.

"Mmm, you more than amuse me…" Riku replied with a purr, a small smirk forming on his lips. Hope looked to Riku with surprise, he had never heard Riku speak like that, his voice sounding deep and smooth. He glanced up at Sora who was still standing with his hand on his hips, the glare on his face now replaced with a slightly blank look. Hope could have said it was surprise, but when he examined his friend a little further he noticed the dark look in his friend's eyes. Feeling a twinge of jealousy he stood up suddenly and wrapped a hand around Sora's wrist, pulling the brunette from the strange trance he seemed to be in.

"Anyway, as much as Sora and I have enjoyed this evening, I need to take him home, we both work early and it's getting late." Hope gave Sora a small nod, indicating he was telling the truth, and it really was getting quite late. The brunette smiled warmly, leaning in a giving hope a small kiss on the lips, causing Hope's face to turn a light shade of pink.

"I can take myself home, lover…" Sora paused, glancing back at the two men who had now become their captivated audience. "I did drive here, after all." He stepped forward, pressing himself against Hope's side, entwining their fingers together. "But I would love it if you walked me to my car, I had to park a little ways down the street." Hope gave a small nod, his face becoming a brighter red at Sora's low tone and warm body pressed against him. "S-sure…" Hope cleared his throat before glancing between Axel and his brother; he had to make this look a little more real so he wrapped his arm possessively around Sora's waist before turning to press his lips against his temple. He then began pulling his friend towards the door.

Riku jumped to his feet, following the couple towards the door. He wished he could think of something more to say to make Sora stay, but he knew it was getting late. So he smiled that heart melting smile of his, stepping towards Sora, he took a small chance wrapping the brunette in a light, but very close hug. Riku felt Sora hesitate before his arms wrapped around Riku's bare back, his skin tingling under the light warmth of skin on skin. "So nice to meet you Sora…_again…_" He whispered into the ear that was so close to his lips. He then pulled away leaving Sora with a small look of confusion on his face.

"Yeah, it was a pleasure to meet you as well, Riku, and you too Axel." Sora replied once he was able to recover from the strange whisperings in his ear. He saw that Axel had now replaced his open happy smile, with the glare he had used earlier on in the evening. He gave a small smile at both men, before waiving and calling a cheerful goodbye before letting Hope clasp his had again and lead him out of the door.

_What did he mean again…?_ Sora thought with a small frown, he was sure he had never met Riku before tonight. He thought about this as he and Hope walked out his car. They were still walking hand in hand, because you never know if they were still being watched by the two boys in the house. Once they arrived at the car Hope pulled Sora in to press against his body. Smiling a little Sora met Hope's eyes enjoying what he was sure would be the last of their affectionate display. "Thanks for everything, Sora. I promise to explain everything tomorrow, alright?" hope whispered, his lips hovering over Sora's. They stood a moment, sharing the same small amount of air between them. Sora's heart fluttered as he looked deep into his friends eyes wondering if all this affection was still part of Hope's plan. "Alright...you better, and you owe me. If I ever need a fake boyfriend to snuggle up against you better not start on any of that _'I'm not gay' _bull shit, I won't stand for it."

"But I'm not.."

"Ahh! Shh, nope! I said I won't stand for it!" Sora said with a mock glare at his friend.

Hope laughed, pushing a strand of hair from Sora's eyes. "Okay, okay...I guess I should let you go..." Hope trailed off looking towards the house over Sora's shoulder. He could see even from this distance, bright red hair at the window. Within an instant he made a decision, one that he was sure to regret at a later time, though at this moment he didn't care. Quickly he pushed Sora's body against the car, covering it with his in a fluid motion that made Sora gasp in shock. A gasp that was cut short as Hope swooped in for a passionate kiss.


End file.
